TL;DR payment for number of plays favors certain kinds of music over others, but it is not really anyone’s fault. My observation is that there’s an underlying

TL;DR payment for number of plays favors certain kinds of music over others, but it is not really anyone’s fault. My observation is that there’s an underlying flaw in the compensation model. I think it was non-obvious and a solution is even less obvious so I don’t really blame Spotify or other services. Some music is made to be listened to over and over. This category includes ambient and background music, but also any catchy pop-like song (in the broadest possible definition of pop). Other music is more narrative and challenging. It might be very important and emotionally impactful, but the listener tends to consume it more like a movie. They might listen to it once or twice. This is a piece of mine I really am proud of. I don’t expect anyone to have it on repeat or add it to a bunch of playlists: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KRQk7TWndBw https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KRQk7TWndBw It is deliberately challenging. Back when the model was buying records, there was potential for some remuneration for creating challenging recorded work. Even if it was niche, if enough people appreciated it one could hope to cover costs. But at a fraction of a cent per play, even if a dedicated listener base absolutely adores your challenging recordings, it’s completely unrealistic to hope to make money from it. Possibly Patreon or something like it can fill that gap. But I really don’t think being frustrated with Spotify is a productive avenue.