Shift the Record Label Paradigm

This article proposes a paradigm shift to being focused on the user when it comes to streaming services: A user-centric streaming model could save the music industry [op-ed] and, in theory, this makes sense to me. As the article states, "Being a musician and expecting to make a living is now considered a fool’s dream, despite the bar to entry being lower than ever, distribution channels being open to all, and the chance of widespread exposure being basically democratised – in theory if not in reality." Until I read this article, I didn't realize how a streaming service like Spotify pays musicians - it's quite fascinating to digest the way it works.

I think back to the 1980s. The music industry was centered around record labels. A record label  released albums to listeners. A record label would decide whether a band's album was going to be released. I remember reading about how bands would send their demo tapes to any and every record label in existence in the hope of being signed to a contract. Imagine being paid to write and record their music on an album! There were so many bands that tried to get signed and never did. Conversely, there are many bands that were signed and never should have been! 

Then, in the 1990s, technology allowed a band to self-release their album. More and more recording studios began to exist. Some existed as a co-op which allowed a recording studio to establish credibility while also giving the band a way to release their music. That shifted in the 2000s with the expansion of the Internet. Countless bands created a website and posted a MP3 of their music and then relied upon marketing and advertising to generate interest and sales.

Who knows what the next paradigm shift looks like?