Updated yesterday at 11:00 am.
Positive review on Spotify?
PHOTO MARIE-MICHÈLE BOUCHARD, PROVIDED BY SOCAN
Alexandre Alonson, managing director of Quebec affairs at SOCAN
The largest music streaming platform Spotify recently announced a review of its distribution method. In particular, it is changing the remuneration rules for non-musical sound files (natural sounds, white noise, etc.) and no longer wants to pay license fees for songs that are played less than 200 times per year. The savings — $1 billion, according to Music Business Weekly — would be added to the royalties already paid. “The claim that we want to support an industry by punishing those who don’t play a lot seems to me to be behavior guided by the interests of multinational companies,” says Jean-Robert Bisaillon, a digital researcher at the University of Quebec in Montreal ( UQAM) and further specifies that record giants are among Spotify’s shareholders. The positive aspect of these changes, according to SOCAN, is that they underline the giant’s desire to promote music and marginalize “parasitic elements”, emphasizes Alexandre Alonso, managing director of Quebec affairs of this company. The losses for the rights holders are likely to be minimal: the artists affected by this change would have only received a few cents for a whole year anyway.
Qub musique: a significant loss?
IMAGE FROM QUB MUSIQUE PAGE
Qub Musique homepage
The end of Qub musique, announced in February 2022 after less than two years of existence, forced one observation: “If a large company like Quebecor cannot establish itself, no one else here will be able to compete with large platforms .” [internationales] », summarizes Alexandre Alonso. Like others, he notes that Qub musique’s market share was not enough to have a significant impact on artists’ income. What particularly regrets the community is the loss of the only platform dedicated to the promotion of local music and its ability to offer playlists adapted to the Quebec reality (mixture of songs especially in English and French). “Qub has done the job we expect from other streaming platforms,” emphasizes Simon Claus, director of public affairs and research at ADISQ. “We could see that the lists were created by people,” says Jean-Robert Bisaillon. Other platforms should take this into account and improve their recommendation services locally. »
1 million will make the difference?
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, LA PRESS ARCHIVE
Eve Paré, Director General of ADISQ
French-language music from Quebec hardly stands out on streaming platforms. Among the 100 songs heard in Quebec, there are very few – often none – titles in French, and music from here is often collected in meaningless playlists. ADISQ therefore welcomes the investment of 1 million announced by the Government of Quebec to support Meta Musique, whose mission is to promote a better “labeling” of Quebec music in order to strengthen its influence. Eve Paré, Director General of ADISQ, speaks of a necessary “discoverability tool”. In her opinion, the promotion of local music must also take place through the education system, a stronger presence in public spaces, better marketing and financial support. “We have small companies that do not have the means to compete with multinational corporations,” she points out.
Outcry against Canadian law?
PHOTO ÉRIC GAILLARD, Portal ARCHIVE
The company Spotify manages to stand out everywhere, even in Cannes, during the famous seventh art festival.
Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, blocked the distribution of Canadian journalistic content after passing a law specifically aimed at forcing the company to pay a licensing fee to local media for using their work. Could this gesture give inspiration to the AppleMusic and Spotify of the world, while the revision of the broadcasting law includes measures to promote Canadian and Quebec music and to pay a contribution to the production of musicals from here? “There are many people who are fighting,” admits Eve Paré, “but no one is threatening to withdraw.” » Jean-Robert Bisaillon emphasizes that the distribution platforms know that they are part of a “music distribution ecosystem” and considers one Such a drastic reaction as Meta’s is unlikely, an analysis shared by SOCAN and ADISQ.
Which platform pays artists the best?
SCREENSHOT OF THE BANDCAMP PAGE
Jimmy Hunt’s Bandcamp page
Most music streaming platforms have a reputation for poorly paying rights holders. Tidal, on the other hand, prides itself on paying artists better. According to Céline Lepage, this is confirmed by the members of FELIN. “There aren’t many people who can dissect [le système de redevances] to say who pays the best,” says Jean-Robert Bisaillon. The lack of transparency of the platforms, the complexity of the calculations and the lack of information about private agreements at different stages make calculation almost impossible. “Bandcamp is an interesting offer for musicians if they can attract their audience there,” specifies Jean-Robert Bisaillon, emphasizing that artists can be heard there and sell their music and even derivative products. As a user, in the absence of reliable information, you only have to choose the service that best suits your needs.