Philip Houska As such, music downloads are in crisis due to significant declines in sales, mainly due to streaming services that are constantly on the rise. Undoubtedly, even iTunes, which has long paid for one of the main channels for music sales, is not avoiding difficulties. So it's no wonder that publishers and artists working on this platform, of which there are many, live in fear for their future; in addition, when it has been speculated several times recently whether Apple will close this part of iTunes. But according to Apple managers, there is no danger.
"No deadline has been set for such termination. In fact, everyone — publishers and artists — should be surprised and grateful for the results they're getting, because iTunes is doing really well," responded Eddy Cue, Apple's head of Internet Services, in an interview with Billboard to news that the Californian firm is preparing to end traditional music sales.
[su_pullquote align=”right”]For reasons unknown, people think they don't have to pay for music.[/su_pullquote]
Although music downloads are not growing and most likely will not be for the foreseeable future, they are not falling as much as expected. According to Cue, there are still plenty of people who prefer to download music rather than stream it online.
On the other hand, Trent Reznor, the executive creative director of Apple Music and the frontman of the band Nine Inch Nails, admitted that the demise of downloaded music is "inevitable" and in the long run it will end up being the CD medium.
Remuneration for artists is thus an increasingly topical topic, because streaming services - also because some are free, for example - often do not make much money for them yet. Reznor and his colleagues admit that everyone should be worried about such a situation, where artists may not have to make a proper living in the future.
"I've spent my whole life in this craft, and now, for some unknown reason, people think they don't have to pay for music," explains Reznor. That's why his team, which takes care of Apple Music, is trying to offer artists such options that could avert the potential collapse of many careers. Streaming is still in its infancy and many do not yet see its potential.
[su_pullquote align=”left”]I don't think any free service is fair.[/su_pullquote]
But there are already cases where artists have been able to take advantage of the latest trends. The best is Canadian rapper Drake, who broke all streaming records with his new album "Views". “What Drake took care of is very important and should be looked into carefully. It broke the streaming record and reached a million downloads — and it was all paid for,” said Jimmy Iovine, another executive on the Apple Music team.
Eddy Cue responded to his words by saying that there are currently many services where an artist cannot earn money. For example, we are talking about YouTube, whose business Trent Reznor considers unfair. "I personally find YouTube's business very unfair. It's gotten this big because it's built on stolen content and it's free. In any case, I think that no free service is fair," Reznor did not spare criticism. For his words, many would certainly also install, for example, Spotify, which, in addition to the paid part, also offers free listening, albeit with advertising.
"We're trying to create a platform that provides a certain alternative - where the person pays to listen and the artist is in control of their content," added Reznor.
Terror!
When will the ARTISTS understand this? It dawned on me already when CDs began to be burned that music would, at best, only be sold for the price of the piece of plastic or whatever it is distributed on. It will only serve as an advertisement for the ARTIST, who will then go to concerts to earn money. That is, if he manages to spread his WORK for FREE among so many people that someone is curious about his output. Is it so complicated that it is incomprehensible?
That's just the way it is, artists would like their creations, if you can call it that, to be spread in the easiest possible way.
They make money by doing gigs, that's a craft, but even that some try to cheat by playing on playback, then they're not artists
I pay for itunes match, so why should I still pay for Apple music? I don't need to have millions of books at my disposal.. I want to have my library with my book at my disposal..
I see the main advantage of streaming more in discovering new music than in having music online. If I'm in the mood for something new or I'm going for a run and I just want rhythmic music, I find a playlist, play it and don't worry about anything.