3 ms·

I don't understand this at all. If you're talking about the culture of making mixtapes/CDs, it's as easy or easier to make and share a playlist on Spotify. And

I don't understand this at all. If you're talking about the culture of making mixtapes/CDs, it's as easy or easier to make and share a playlist on Spotify. And in terms of creating music, free or cheap recording software and distribution platforms make that exponentially easier as well.

TheOtherHobbes 7y ago
It's not about the object - "a playlist" - it's about the means of distribution, the networks that are created, and the relationships between artists, middle-men, and buyers. Spotify is an example of the consolidating and centralising tendency of Internet technology. Physical media with low cost of entry make it possible to create your own channel to buyers. In the 80s you could set up a short-run cassette label from a back bedroom, send a tape to an indie DJ like John Peel and get some priceless attention with your music highlighted on national radio. In the 90s you could make your own white label 12" pressings and distribute them personally to record shops. That's no longer possible today. Spotify (YouTube, etc) are all oligopolies that own the most important channels between new artists and customers/fans. They don't curate, they ingest. Established artists can bypass them, but newcomers have no choice. They have to go through one of the channels - at which point they're immediately competing head-on with hundreds of thousands of other artists. There is no other way to reach an audience now. And the rewards mean it's rarely worth the effort.
- lostgame 7y ago
  >> In the 90s you could make your own white label 12" pressings and distribute them personally to record shops. This, beyond other physical and fashion products, is essentially the business plan for my music label. It's certainly still doable and is one of the best ways in to local meaningful exposure in your city, or at least in my city of Toronto. Vinyl sales are huge, especially in terms of profit.

TheOtherHobbes 7y ago

It's not about the object - "a playlist" - it's about the means of distribution, the networks that are created, and the relationships between artists, middle-men, and buyers. Spotify is an example of the consolidating and centralising tendency of Internet technology. Physical media with low cost of entry make it possible to create your own channel to buyers. In the 80s you could set up a short-run cassette label from a back bedroom, send a tape to an indie DJ like John Peel and get some priceless attention with your music highlighted on national radio. In the 90s you could make your own white label 12" pressings and distribute them personally to record shops. That's no longer possible today. Spotify (YouTube, etc) are all oligopolies that own the most important channels between new artists and customers/fans. They don't curate, they ingest. Established artists can bypass them, but newcomers have no choice. They have to go through one of the channels - at which point they're immediately competing head-on with hundreds of thousands of other artists. There is no other way to reach an audience now. And the rewards mean it's rarely worth the effort.

lostgame 7y ago
>> In the 90s you could make your own white label 12" pressings and distribute them personally to record shops. This, beyond other physical and fashion products, is essentially the business plan for my music label. It's certainly still doable and is one of the best ways in to local meaningful exposure in your city, or at least in my city of Toronto. Vinyl sales are huge, especially in terms of profit.