Should you quit Spotify?

It seems every week someone suggests artists quit or boycott Spotify, but is leaving the most popular streaming service really a good idea?

A guest post by James Shotwell of Haulix.

With growing calls for change and threats of protests/boycotts, Spotify is the fastest-growing and most debated music streaming platform on the planet. Some artists love the access it provides music lovers worldwide, while others believe easy access leads to lower financial support. There are arguments for both sides, and we’re not here to tell you which one is correct.

Recently, a Music Biz viewer shared an article calling for a Spotify boycott. The article suggested that artists trick the platform’s algorithm into larger payouts per complete song stream. Essentially, musicians would splice their songs into theirs, which they would then upload in place of single-track streams. When someone streams all three parts of a track, artists will earn roughly 1.2 cents, which is the rate paid by Spotify competitor Tidal per stream.

While good for artists, Tidal has an estimated 1-5 million subscribers. Spotify, by comparison, has more than 125 million.

That idea is one of many proposed in response to Spotify’s seeming refusal to negotiate their royalty rate. Others have suggested that artists quit altogether, theoretically for negotiations (though it would admittedly require a high volume exodus). 

But is quitting Spotify a good idea? Music Biz host James Shotwell has an answer.

James Shotwell is the Director of Customer Engagement at Haulix and host of the company’s podcast, Inside Music. He is also a public speaker known for promoting careers in the entertainment industry, as well as an entertainment journalist with over a decade of experience. His bylines include Rolling Stone, Alternative Press, Substream Magazine, Nu Sound, and Under The Gun Review, among other popular outlets

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