“You can’t record music every three or four years and think that’s going to be enough.” That was a sentence uttered in an interview earlier this year by Spotify CEO Daniel Ek. Widely derided by musicians and fans alike, this sound bite brought the “Streaming Discussion™” back to the forefront of music circles on places like Twitter and Reddit. While very few artists are happy with the financial arrangement between themselves and Spotify, this statement breathed new life into the unrest at the heart of this agreement. This suggestion of “just release more music” also brought to the forefront a litany of problems with the current economic model that platforms like Spotify and Apple Music have used to make millions off of the backs of artists.

It’s no secret that these services are notoriously stingy, offering up fractions of a penny per stream, but a less-discussed byproduct of this model is how it has literally devalued art and made music more disposable in the process.

© Taylor Grimes 2025. How Spotify Made Music Disposable

I agree with Taylor Grimes' assessment of the state of the music industry with regards to streaming. Music has been devalued by companies like Spotify and Apple Music which has lead to a decrease in quality of music. There is a constant race for listeners' attention and an endless amount of accessible music that has cluttered the digital music stores.

While streaming platofrms have drastically changed the way that music is consumed and distributed, it still has it's benefits. It is much easier to discover new emerging artists in these digital spaces than it was twenty years ago. It is amazing that we have access to a nearly unlimited catalog of music from all genres and peoples around the world. The music industry will continue to develop as will the way that music is consumed and hopefully there will be positive changes that improve some of the issues that streaming has created

© Alexander Castiglia. 2025. All Rights Reserved.