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Celeb News: Taylor convinces Bill Werde to unsubscribe to Spotify
Member Since: 6/25/2012
Posts: 41,860
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Taylor convinces Bill Werde to unsubscribe to Spotify
http://billwerde.tumblr.com/post/101...-swift-and-why
Quote:
Less than a year ago, Beyonce shocked the world and dropped a surprise album. You didn’t have the album for me to listen to when my Twitter feed exploded with people talking about this amazing new work, but I didn’t really blame you then. I just assumed it was necessary as part of the surprise release, or a condition of exclusivity for Apple. I bought Beyonce’s album within seconds of its release. I figured you’d get the album for me to stream with my other playlists in short order. I was wrong though: the album still isn’t up on Spotify, all this time later.
Of course, last week, Taylor Swift released her new album, 1989. And to be honest, I was pretty pissed off that it wasn’t on Spotify. This wasn’t a surprise release. Quite the contrary, Taylor has spent the last month or so making sure that the entire world knew this album was coming, whether they wanted to or not. But ok, sure: we all also know Team Taylor loves her gigantic first week sales numbers, and I guess I assumed again that once her first week of sales passed, the album would be streamable. After all, the rest of her catalog was available on Spotify.
However, this morning a friend on Twitter told me that Taylor Swift’s entire catalog had been taken down from Spotify. And this, for me, is the final straw. Try to see it my way, please: most of America is paying $40 annually for music. I’m paying three times that, and for what? The privilege of not being able to play the two most acclaimed, buzz-worthy albums of the past year, by the two biggest contemporary stars in music? I’m sorry, but if Spotify is meant to be a second-tier, later-window strategy, then I’ll be happy to pay half of what I’m paying now. But charging me premium prices for a non-premium experience? No thanks.
While we’re on the subject, I have to add that I think you’re missing a golden PR opportunity today. Either that, or all your talk about paying artists has been just that—talk. You have said you pay “nearly 70% of all the revenues that we receive back to rights holders.” Instead of responding to arguably the most popular artist in the world pulling her music from your service by creating cute playlist poetry (although granted, it was pretty clever), perhaps this would be a really good time to share some math. Like: how much money would Taylor have likely made from your service during her first week? How much money will she be losing each week she isn’t on Spotify? I have to imagine the answers aren’t so flattering, or you’d be sharing them already, and loudly.
The part that troubles me is I do believe in a streaming future—it’s unfolding all around us as I type. While I’m asking you about math, perhaps you could also project how much money Taylor would have likely made the week her album was released in a world in which there were 10 or 20 or 30 million “premium” Spotify subscribers. Your CEO, Daniel Ek, said that “When we get to 40 million subs,” Spotify’s contributions to rights holders would “be as large as the iTunes revenue stream.” So how much money would Taylor have made first-week on Spotify if you were at 40 million users? Because maybe if she saw that number, she’d understand that keeping her album on Spotify might mean less money this year, but more money down the road. And then maybe she’d put her album back on Spotify, and then I wouldn’t have to unsubscribe.
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Lines drawn in the sand, The Revolution begins
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Member Since: 3/4/2014
Posts: 3,336
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Member Since: 3/15/2013
Posts: 2,198
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Yes Bill! I canceled my subscription too.
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Member Since: 6/30/2010
Posts: 22,080
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Spotify ha downfall.
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Member Since: 3/15/2013
Posts: 23,412
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BEYONCÉ ha impact.
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 56,234
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YAY, streaming services are trash and are single-handedly DESTROYING the music industry. I'm glad that people are starting to boycott. Who actually uses them, anyway? Just buy the music. 
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Member Since: 4/4/2014
Posts: 6,069
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Taylor ha power
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Member Since: 3/4/2014
Posts: 3,336
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On topic though Taylor better not convince the Lorde to ditch spotify, it's my only legal source of Muzik
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Member Since: 9/9/2012
Posts: 59,872
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He is not a celebrity. Why is this in celebrity news? He's just a man with a Blog. 
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Member Since: 6/25/2012
Posts: 41,860
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Quote:
Originally posted by Tim£
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I only see a thread about Taylor not Bill
Quote:
Originally posted by ianBK4
BEYONCÉ ha impact.
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Quote:
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However, this morning a friend on Twitter told me that Taylor Swift’s entire catalog had been taken down from Spotify. And this, for me, is the final straw.
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Member Since: 5/9/2012
Posts: 38,050
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Good thing I didn't subsribe like I planned too.
I buy all my music anyhow, so I'm unbothered. 
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Member Since: 3/15/2013
Posts: 25,228
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Good for him. Don't know why we needed a thread about his opinion though.
Spotify will continue to grow and take over and you can bitch about it all you want, but that won't change.
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Member Since: 6/25/2012
Posts: 41,860
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Quote:
Originally posted by Hunter_13
Good thing I didn't subsribe like I planned too.
I buy all my music anyhow, so I'm unbothered. |
OMG same
Quote:
Originally posted by Mike91
Good for him. Don't know why we needed a thread about his opinion though.
Spotify will continue to grow and take over and you can bitch about it all you want, but that won't change.
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did you even read it?
even the first paragraph?? 
the disrespect to your faves 
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Member Since: 9/1/2013
Posts: 27,364
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Member Since: 9/1/2013
Posts: 27,364
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Quote:
Originally posted by Dollas n Diamonds
the disrespect ot your faves |
Ikr. 
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Member Since: 12/13/2011
Posts: 26,638
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Quote:
Originally posted by Dollas n Diamonds
OMG same
did you even read it?
even the first paragraph??
the disrespect to your faves |
His hatred of Taylor Swift has blinded him. So ****ing transparent I can't.
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Member Since: 3/15/2013
Posts: 25,228
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Quote:
Originally posted by Dollas n Diamonds
did you even read it?
even the first paragraph??
the disrespect to your faves |
Just because i stan for someone, does not mean i have to agree with everything they do...
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Member Since: 8/12/2012
Posts: 13,665
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It's politics!
And Bill and Taylor should say it out loud, it isn't about streaming or not, it's about with whom!
And soon we will see Taylor with an American company and she will get a lot of money because she is first.
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Member Since: 3/15/2013
Posts: 25,228
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Quote:
Originally posted by Icannot
His hatred of Taylor Swift has blinded him. So ****ing transparent I can't. |
What the **** are you even talking about? The second part of my comment wasn't even directed towards him but to Sam Jay's post. 
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Member Since: 11/20/2010
Posts: 7,042
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It will be on spotify. I think its smart not to have it on spotify the first week if you are trying to garner those first week sales. Everyone would just stream it.
On the flip artist still get paid for streaming. It's better for them to stream then just DL for free. At least the commercials they have to listen to will make up for them not buying it when you get royalty check. They are not losing.
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