The Pop Corporation

Trent Reznor, of NiN, has things to say about streaming, stating that the whole thing has “mortally wounded” many artists while talking to magazine, GQ.

“I think the terrible payout of streaming services has mortally wounded a whole tier of artists that make being an artist unsustainable,” he said. “And it’s great if you’re Drake, and it’s not great if you’re Grizzly Bear. And the reality is: Take a look around. We’ve had enough time for the whole ‘All the boats rise’ argument to see they don’t all rise. Those boats rise. These boats don’t. They can’t make money in any means. And I think that’s bad for art.”

Normally, you cut any criticism of streaming as Old Head talk, but let’s be honest – Reznor is on record as being pretty forward thinking and embracing of new music technologies, so these words carry a bit more weight.

In the past, Reznor talked about illegal downloading as a participant, but back in 2007, he also noted that it was a strange time to be a musician. Back then, he said: “I used to buy vinyl. Today, if you do put out a record on a label, traditionally, most people are going to hear it via a leak that happens two weeks — if not two months — before it comes out. There’s no real way around that. I’m truly saddened because I think music has been devalued, so that it’s just a file on your computer, and it’s usually free. But we can’t change that. What we can do is try to offer people the best experience that we can provide them. Will it work? I don’t know. But I think it’s a great way to get music out to people who are interested. At the end of the day, all I care about is the integrity of the music, and that the feeling of those who experience it is as untainted as possible. I’d rather it not be on an iPod commercial. I’d rather it not be a ringtone that you have to get with a free cell phone or any of that bullshit.”

Fast forward to the present day, and he says that he “thought maybe at Apple there could be influence to pay in a more fair or significant way, because a lot of these services are just a rounding error compared to what comes in elsewhere, unlike Spotify where their whole business is that.”

“But that’s tied to a lot of other political things and label issues, and everyone’s trying to hold onto their little piece of the pie and it is what it is. I also realise, I think that people just want to turn the faucet on and have music come in. They’re not really concerned about all the romantic shit I thought mattered.”