Supporting artists, spinning records, streaming songs

The age-old question awaits

Thanks for joining me here for another dispatch of my music and menswear newsletter, which is different (but somewhat the same) as my daily style blog from which it gets its name. Thanks for reading!

My friends, thanks for tuning into another edition of my multi-faceted newsletter, which covers everything from the music of The Replacements to craft beer and flannel shirts, often all at once. Today’s dispatch is a bit different, though. I last sent out a newsletter highlighting a standout new album from New Jersey indie rock vet Kevin Whelan (that’d be from his new project, Aeon Station).

In the days since then, a debate has erupted over global streaming platform Spotify, the same platform I’ve often used in linking to some of my favorite songs in this newsletter. That’s why we’re here today — bear with me, folks!

It’s been quite the saga, to say the least — I’d trace its current iteration back to when legendary rocker Neil Young initially pulled his music off Spotify to protest the misinformation being peddled by the platform’s most expensive, most controversial podcast host (those facts aren’t up for debate — if you’re not familiar, click the link to find out who I mean… because I’d rather not type his name).

Other artists have followed suit, and plenty of other unsavory facts about that unnamed, incredibly expensive podcast have also been revealed. If you’ve spent any time on Twitter, as I have over the past week (an understatement), presumably, you’re clued into that discourse. But that podcast remains online, as does the music of innumerable artists I love — and I’m sure you do, as well.

It’s raised some interesting questions for me, ones I’ve been pondering over the past few days. I know friends and music industry colleagues — as I write about everything from music to menswear — who’ve switched streaming services to other platforms like TIDAL (founded in part by rapper Jay-Z). I know others still who’ve listened to Spotify, but, well, less. Heck, I know of people who’ve never even used Spotify. And I know plenty who love CDs and cassettes to this day. I’m somewhere in the middle, to be frank.

I myself have listened to more records as of late, but I also have extensive playlists I love on Spotify, one of which you might have enjoyed yourself! The ultimate question, when it’s really “Us vs. Them” — listeners and underpaid artists versus a corporation that famously stiffs its musicians — is, how best to support the artists you love, particularly if you’d rather move to another streaming service or give up Spotify entirely?

Some are caught between a rock and a hard place as musicians or listeners — Spotify, unfortunately, is probably the industry standard for tracking streams of songs and sharing your music with a wider populace.

Higher streams = more visibility = better spots at festivals and on tours, higher merch sales, potential late-night TV appearances, and so on. That’s the short version, at least. The way I see it, a Spotify stream for, let’s say, Aeon Station is “worth more,” comparatively, than it is for an industry vet like Neil Young (although Neil is losing money, too!).

When there’s no silver bullet option that pays artists fairly per stream, is there a better way? Allow me to stand up and say, "Yes. Yes, there is.” When song streams deliver a paltry amount to everyone across the board, go the extra mile and buy an album off a platform like Bandcamp. Of note, Bandcamp Friday has been a boon — it’s a pandemic initiative rolled into 2022 and powered up by the online music community to put money directly in the pockets of artists of all sizes.

Better still, support your favorite bands through their Web store with merchandise purchases, if you’d like: T-shirts, posters, pins, buttons, stickers and yes, vinyl seem to be up for grabs at plenty of artist Web stores, COVID delays notwithstanding.

For me, again, I’m somewhere in the middle. I buy from Bandcamp. I buy vinyl. I have innumerable band T-shirts. And the best support of all, I think — when done safely, of course — would be getting back out to a live show, standing in the crowd, enjoying the music and the atmosphere and the passion of the artists onstage (beer sold separately, of course). Your ticket goes to touring and recording costs, pays a crew, fills a venue and yes, ultimately, pays that artist (the list goes on).

Add on a T-shirt at the end of the night — depending on how much of a cut the venue takes from merch sales (another issue entirely!) — and be proud, because you’ve done your part on an even greater level. Of course, there’s still no silver bullet, since tours and shows remain in flux given the pandemic.

Again, my overall take is that, while there’s no easy way out of this, there are so many ways to support the artists we love in the meantime. I’ll be ruminating on this even more in the days to come, and hopefully, you’re on the same page as I am: The music that moves us deserves our support, however possible. If you made it this far, thank you for reading! Cheers — onward!