Björk: "Desperate Music Industry has clung to Old Ways"
In a recent interview with Wired, Björk expressed how she thinks that a big part of the music industry has "desperately clung to old ways" and that an entire "generation of musicians hasn't gotten paid" due to this and the rapid changes it experienced.
You began your solo career in the 90s and since then the music industry has endured tremendous upheaval. In what ways has that affected the way you express yourself creatively?
Björk: Well, the changes have put even more importance on that the expression is the most important part. All else are just tools to express yourself with, and so they should be.
The music industry has been having the discussion about how to handle the internet for years now. Do you think we have figured out what the future landscape will look like yet, and how would you describe it?
Björk: I think it is still in the making. It is sad though how long it has taken and how desperately many have clung to the old ways. It means that a generation of musicians haven't gotten paid for their music. Let's hope it will get solved soon, but I feel the artists need also to come up with solutions because they are the only ones that know what they need.
Some artists have criticised streaming services like Spotify for not paying artists enough. Thom Yorke, for example, pulled his music from the site in July and more recently called it " the last desperate fart of a dying corpse". Do you feel that there's a problem with live-streaming music at the moment?
Björk: Yes, but it could possibly be improved if there is will.
Well, people just don't feel like they 'need' to pay for music anymore.
They see it as their right to have music for free and I don't really think anything can change that.
I think it's hard for people to feel 'bad' for not buying a pop stars' music when they're rolling in their millions.
But that's the assumption that's always killed artists. Ppl always assume they have a ton of money because of a forbes lists and forget to take into account taxes, managers, agents, assistants, lawyers, road cost, labels, and then their own personal bills.
I'll never forget that vid of left eye breaking it down how TLC were selling 10 million records yet were broke as fawk.
I think it's hard for people to feel 'bad' for not buying a pop stars' music when they're rolling in their millions.
This is an interesting point of view but as Madonna has said "the mortgage for the mansions has to be paid too"
+ still, as long as a service is provided (in this case the music itself) and that you are making use of it needs to be paid evenif it's hard to imagine.
But that's the assumption that's always killed artists. Ppl always assume they have a ton of money because of a forbes lists and forget to take into account taxes, managers, agents, assistants, lawyers, road cost, labels, and then their own personal bills.
I'll never forget that vid of left eye breaking it down how TLC were selling 10 million records yet were broke as fawk.
So true! It's a constant hustle unless you end up being successful enough to live off of touring your whole life a lot of the time you still have to work just as hard as when you started.
At least a lot of artists are able to use their platform for endorsements and tv shows, so they are still getting money in other ways. For example I'd imagine that Rihanna's River Island and MAC deals are getting her a lot of money she wouldn't otherwise have.
