The changing face of music streaming & downloading. Adapt or Die.

In the wake of all the controversy surrounding Soundcloud changing their streaming model,

What's Gonna Happen to Soundcloud
Warner Soundcloud Deal
Soundcloud Losing Money

where will this leave smaller dj's and even bigger ones looking for an outlet to upload and stream their mixes?

The honest answer seems to be that no matter how hard you try if you have a good system and it reaches critical mass at a certain point you must monetize or you will fade. Soundcloud reached this point a while ago but it is only until recently that major dj's and labels have felt the sting.

Where does this leave the smaller labels and dj's who push the envelope with unauthorized mashups/remixes and bootlegs? This culture of remixing runs so deep in electronic music that to ignore it is to ignore the very fabric of what makes it so awesome. We have come to a point where the artist who is unlawfully remixed is not the one who has the say on whether that remix should be taken down. It's the larger organizations who make the decisions and their only motivation is money and longevity.

We can only look back to our history to see the foreshadowing of what was to come. Did Metallica know the significance of that moment? Did they know that music streaming and downloading was the future of the industry and music sales would drop dramatically each and every year until the day when the music retailer was a thing of the past. Most modern producers know that selling music as a model for success is becoming a thing of the past if not completely over for emerging artists. Just look at Run The Jewels (EL P & Killer Mike) who have adapted and offered their latest album for free download but you have the choice to purchase deluxe editions. These offer much more personalization than just a digital file. Stickers, teal 180 gram vinyl, beautiful tangible packaging. They are not the first nor will they be the last.

This will be a continuing saga and the end result is unclear. Where one service falls victim to its own success one will rise from the underground only to be gobbled up by the monster that is the big 3. We are at the tipping point, a time when we could see the last album ever going platinum.

Was Taylor Swift accurate in her calculations of her revenue from Spotify? Will she make more on iTunes? We can only say for sure if we saw the books. Spotify claims she left behind 6 million dollars.

What do you think the future holds?

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