Behind the music
How labor changed for musicians through the subscription economy
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15115385 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Saskia Mühlbach (Erasmus University Rotterdam), Payal Arora (0000-0002-3578-340X, Erasmus University Rotterdam) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Publication date | 2020-03-23 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | First Monday (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1396-0458 • E-ISSN: 1396-0466 |
| Publisher | University of Illinois Libraries (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.5210/fm.v25i4.10382 |
| OpenAlex | W2897887912 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 8 |
Subscription services for users with low or no cost access to vast libraries of music has initiated a decrease in revenue for musicians. The growing evidence of exploitation of creative workers in the subscription economy and the sparse scientific coverage of the artist perspective motivated this paper. Through in-depth interviews with musicians, it examines how labor changed for artists in the music industry through the rise of streaming platforms, specifically in the context of Germany. The findings show that the non-creative process takes up more of the artist’s time. Artists perceive their music as less of an artistic product and more as a marketing tool for their own brand. To support the non-creative tasks, artists leverage on data that platforms provide. We witness a re-intermediation in the music market as well as an increase in competition. This paper pushes the conversation on labor and precarity in the music industry that is fast becoming platformized
Advertising · Art · Business · Competition (biology) · Context (archaeology) · Conversation · Creative industries · Leverage (statistics) · Music industry · Revenue · Sociology · Visual arts · Art History and Market Analysis · Computer Science · Cultural Industries and Urban Development · Digital Games and Media · Marketing
Performance space and independent music
Playlisting the periphery
Negotiating Standards and Songwriting Myths in the Age of Platformisation
What Do Musicians Think of Digital Platforms
Independent Canadian Music in the Streaming Age
Mirroring the inequalities of mainstream music platforms
From Adorno to 50 Cent
Playing Spotify's game
| Citations per year | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2022 - 2025 (4) |
| Highly cited | No |