> These two are equivalent earning streams for artists (ignoring the money that record labels siphon away), but I get more value out of the second option (2). A

> These two are equivalent earning streams for artists (ignoring the money that record labels siphon away), but I get more value out of the second option (2). And the difference is huge! You get more value out of option #2, but I doubt the artists do. This attitude is what I believe is really wrong with these streaming services: the value of the product being created is being significantly devalued. If you can't get it as part of the $10 / month you've decided you're willing to spend for access to 'all music', then you're just going to rip it off. Because Spotify does such a good job providing so much good music for so little money to individual listeners, they now balk at the idea of paying a real fair value for this work. As an artist, she has every right to decide how much her music is worth and choose how she wants it distributed and paid for. I think these kinds of things are important once in a while to establish what the appropriate pricing levels and artist compensation should be.