Dee Snider recently appeared on the Jeremy White Show and criticized Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, saying he deserves severe punishment for his actions against musicians.
The singer addressed Ek and said the following when discussing the financial challenges that musicians are currently experiencing:
“That guy from Spotify. I wanna tell you, he should be taken out and shot. When he heard that artists were complaining about how little we get paid, his response was ‘make more music’ — like we’re producing cans of Coke. Just [increase] the production. [It’s] insulting and belittling.”
Monetizing Music Beyond Spotify
Speaking about how musicians like himself can continue to make money from their music, Dee continued:
“For me, it’s licensing. The licensing is the last godsend, the last oasis where you can actually make some money. Steven Spielberg chooses [Twisted Sister’s] ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ for the finale of [his movie] ‘Ready Player One.’ Thank you, God, ’cause I’m not getting anything from Spotify.”
Ek’s Controversial Stance On Artist Earnings
Snider referred to the Spotify CEO’s comments in 2020, speaking to Music Ally and stating:
“Obviously, some artists that used to do well in the past may not do well in this future landscape, where you can’t record music once every three to four years and think that’s going to be enough.”
It’s not new for the frontman to be outspoken against Ek. Following Daniel’s 2020 remarks, Snider took to X to express his opinions on the matter. He noted:
“While you (the listener) benefit & enjoy Spotify, it’s part of what’s killing a major income stream for artist/creators. The amount of artists’ rich enough’ to withstand this loss are about .0001%. Daniel Ek’s solution is for us to write and record more on our dime?! F*ck him!”
Spotify has long been criticized for giving small payments to musicians and songwriters. Some people argue that it favors big-label artists by placing them more prominently in playlists and promoting them more. While the amount varies, it’s estimated that Spotify pays around $0.003 to $0.005 for each time a song is played.
You can watch the full interview below.
