How Streaming Ruined the Music Industry

[Melinda Halliwell]

Especially in the future if TV becomes virtual allowing people to star in their own music videos then.

I do know YouTube amongst other websites like Soundcloud have helped artists who've not had record contracts promote their own music because they've more creative control in how they sound, what they wear and the type of music they do without managers telling them otherwise which they mightn't like and other musicians who've got contracts from being YouTube stars firstly whether that's through doing cover songs or their own original ones they've written making a couple of albums then not being heard of before doing what they did again originally which might be a good thing for them I suppose in a sense.

[BettyNewbie]

Dec 27, 2019 2:48:11 GMT -5 Melinda Halliwell said:

I do know YouTube amongst other websites like Soundcloud have helped artists who've not had record contracts promote their own music because they've more creative control in how they sound, what they wear and the type of music they do without managers telling them otherwise which they mightn't like and other musicians who've got contracts from being YouTube stars firstly whether that's through doing cover songs or their own original ones they've written making a couple of albums then not being heard of before doing what they did again originally which might be a good thing for them I suppose in a sense.

That is only true if A) you play either rap or EDM (aka. music that's cheap to produce) and B) your music can get viral marketing online. Rock bands and even pop singers have gotten almost no benefit from YouTube and Soundcloud, whatsoever.

It's a big reason (though, not the only one) that those genres have struggled so much in the charts over the last 5 years (10-15 years, in rock's case). Streaming rules the roost, so that means more rap/EDM, less rock/pop.

[Tim]

Yeah, and since streaming isn't going anyway, this is how it's gonna stay.

In many ways, streaming is more bad than good, IMO.  The moment streaming services were allowed to produce their own material, the die was cast.