Björk: “Spotify is Likely the Worst Thing That Has Happened to Musicians”

Streaming And Its Impact on Musicians

Bjork reflected on the world of streaming gear and said that, in her opinion, Spotify – “probably the worst that happened to the musicians.”

• Read more: Björk: “First you create the Universe with sound, then you move into it”
  

She made comments during a recent interview with Swedish outlet Dagens Nicher where she promoted the upcoming direct broadcast of her new concert film Cornucopia which debuts on Apple TV+ today (January 24).

Creating Music Without Pressure

Later, in the discussion, however, the artist remembered her approach to creating new music and shared how she, fortunately, never experienced pressure to develop a tour only for income.

Discussing her approach to the development of new material, she said: “Only in the dark you can plant a new seed. In order for the seeds to turn into a healthy and energetic plant, you need solitude. You need several years when no one knew what you were doing, even yourself.”

As for the hopes of some dates of the tour, she said that now she is focused on creating new music. “I am more busy right now, identifying all the ideas that I have. I feel far from finished, and time is expired. What if I had to make another 20 albums? Given my pace, I will probably make five at best before I die,” she explained.

“A living part and will always be a large part of what I do. But I was lucky because I no longer need to collect money on tour, that young musicians are often forced to do,” she added. “In this regard, Spotify is probably the worst what happened to the musicians. Stream culture has changed the whole society and a whole generation of artists.”

This is not the first time that Björk shared her thoughts on the streaming platform. Back in 2015, she also talked about her decision not to release her album “Vulnicura” on Spotify from the principles of “respect.”

“It seems crazy,” she said at that time. “To work on something for two or three years, and then simply: ‘Oh, here it is for free.’ This is not about money; this is about respect. Respect for the craft and the amount of work that you invest in it.”

Comments together with the perspectives that the drummer of the Siberian Ulcer, Charlie Benante, shared in November last year, when he described the streaming gear as a place where the music goes.

“Subconsciously, this may be the reason why we do not make an entry every three years or something else, because I do not want to give it for free,” he said. “This is mainly theft. This is theft from the artist – people who control the musical streaming sites, such as Spotify. I do not subscribe to Spotify. I think that the music dies there.”

In recent years, there have been a lot of disputes about streaming platforms and their influence on the music industry. For example, last year, Spotify General Director Daniel Ek caused a negative reaction for his comments regarding the cost of “creating content,” when countless users and musicians called him “out of touch.”

Partly, the backlash was associated with reports at the time when Spotify was profitable for more than 1 billion euros (860 million pounds), after staff cuts and increased subscription prices. It also became known that Spotify officially demonetized all songs on the platform with fewer than 1,000 streams, which makes it difficult for artists to generate royalties from their music and limits new artists seeking to break into the music industry.

More recently, Spotify shared its opinion, after a late breakfast on the day before the inauguration of Donald Trump, and donated $150,000 (122,000 pounds) for the official ceremony.

In another part of her interview with Dagens Nicher, Björk discussed the growth of concerts, including the noticeable releases of Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, and remembered the common language that she believes all three are sharing.

“We, of course, are very different as artists. But for all three of us, this is probably less about the ego and more about the community with other musicians on stage and with the audience,” she said while reflecting on her decision to share the Cornucopia film.

“We are also artists where the crafting of songs is in the spotlight, where each song carries emotions. All these nuances, from sadness to ecstasy, are likely to be better conveyed to those watching at home on their couch.”

A Cornucopia concert tour lasted from May 2019 to December 2023, including North America, Europe, Oceania, and Asia. Based on Björk’s studio albums “Utopia” (2017) and then “Fossora” (2022), it was a musical and theatrical hybrid, directed by the renowned Argentine director Lucrecia Martel.

NME attended the show when it arrived in London in 2019, noting in a four-star review, “We must be grateful for the artist bold enough to appear before the show in this quirky space, one that would follow, over the next two nights, more conventional performers like McFly and Little Mix. This is a time when we all need to push ourselves, to discover new ways of being: how the lady herself sings in the penultimate track of the show: ‘Imagine the future and be in it.’”

NME also caught up with Björk in 2022, where the artist shared her thoughts on how she believes the world is evolving in this current decade. “I thought we would be better with environmental issues,” she said.

“Gen Z is really radical, and I’m glad that environmental priorities are becoming a focus! When I read the news, I see that most of this will not hold value in 20 years. The only thing that is really important is how we address the environment.”