The Who lead vocalist Roger Daltrey recently gave an interview to Independent in which he reflected on the diminishing returns of the band’s latest album. The singer stated that it is mainly related to the changes in the record industry in recent years.
The way music is made, consumed, and distributed has changed dramatically since the rise of the internet after traditional record labels have dominated the music industry for a long time. The musicians had to rely on the record companies as they had the authority on everything from marketing budgets to video sets and tour dates.
The record labels even blocked artists from expressing themselves in the way they wanted to produce more marketable works. However, with the emergence of various music streaming sites and the rise of social media, the power dynamics started to shift. They’ve brought new opportunities for artists to promote their music. Still, the musicians can’t compete with record labels regarding their money. Besides, they even make less money than before.
During his latest interview, Roger Daltrey also talked about the changing situation in the music industry. The singer explained that the musicians could not earn enough money to maintain their life due to the streaming services and record labels. The revenue is mainly shared among the record companies and streaming platforms, so the musicians get even less money now.
Daltrey stated that at least record labels did all the work before but now, they do less work, and yet, they take all the money. The singer also mentioned The Who’s latest self-titled 2019 album, which was a low selling one compared to previous albums from the band, to comment on this issue.
Roger Daltrey speaking on the changes in the music industry in recent years:
“Musicians cannot earn a living in the record industry anymore. That is ridiculous, and they’re being robbed blind by streaming and the record companies because the old deals with record companies that existed in the Seventies, Eighties, and Nineties are still working on the same percentage breaks.
And of course, they don’t do any work. They just press a button, and it goes out on digital, whereas before they had to manufacture, they had to distribute, they had to do all that stuff. They’re doing bugger all and taking all the money, and the musicians are getting nothing.”
On December 6, 2019, The Who released their self-titled twelfth studio album, marking the band’s first record in thirteen years. Maybe the album did well on the US and UK charts, but its returns were low compared to the band’s previous ones. Roger Daltrey thinks that it is primarily due to the changes in the traditional way of distributing music.
You can listen to The Who’s latest album below.
