In a recent chat with Sonic Perspectives, Cradle of Filth’s Dani Filth spoke out against Spotify.
“I owe it to my brethren in metal and music not to have a f*cking Spotify account because they don’t pay people,” the frontman said. “It’s not just them — it’s just platforms in general.”
He continued, “I appreciate the fact that people could discover you from another band and whatever; I’ve heard it a million times. But I’m old school… I want my bands to be paid because if they’re not paid, they’re not bands anymore.”
Former Fear Factory frontman Burton C. Bell also criticized Spotify for not paying musicians what they deserved in December. He shared his Spotify Wrapped For Artists stats last year and wrote, “So I checked out this ‘wrapped’ BS from Spotify. It is a bittersweet realization as an independent artist to see that my music is truly spanning the globe, and that fans are truly supportive (that is the sweet part). THANK YOU TO ALL THE FANS AROUND THE GLOBE FOR YOUR SUPPORT! I AM GRATEFUL FOR YOU.”
The singer added, “The bitterness that wells within my heart is seeing that Spotify WILL compensate me with $4.29…. that is $0.003 for every stream… a fraction of ONE PENNY… F*ck Spotify… Daniel Ek is reaping in billions off of the backs of all the artists that have built this company, and will not compensate the artist for the invaluable work that supports his business and life.”
“Spotify is an ‘evil,’ regarded as an ‘important gauge’ for artists in the music industry. How can artists survive in this burgeoning economy with compensation like this? What’s even worse is that the only way to really break ground on Spotify is to pay for services to break into a larger audience. ‘Pay to Play’ is still rampant, and it has infiltrated the internet,” Bell shared.
Dee Snider also dislikes Spotify because he feels the owner disrespects artists and pays them poorly. Steve Lukather, on the other hand, defended Spotify, saying he made a good deal with them early on.
