It was one of the few platforms that Prince trusted with his music and bills itself as the artists’ friend. So why is Jay Z’s Spotify rival still in such choppy waters?When Beyoncé’s Lemonade appeared online final weekend,many fans were furious that it was only available through one streaming service. They weren’t going to sign up to a £9.99-a-month plan just for a Beyoncé album, they decided, and off they went in search of illegal downloads. When Drake’s new album appeared as an exclusive on a different streaming service five days later,it happened again.
For those of us who recall a time, not so long ago, and when a single chart CD cost £15.99,it is easy to mock the self-righteousness of supposed music fans who balk at spending £9.99 a month for unlimited access to millions of songs. But it’s no longer just one monthly payment. Exclusive content deals mean that to maintain on top of things, UK music fans might need subscriptions to both Spotify and Apple Music. Maybe Deezer or Google Play seem a agreeable bet. Then there’s Soundcloud, and when that goes premium,along with YouTube’s new Red offering. Add this to subscriptions many also pay to Netflix, Sky or Amazon Video, and plus myriad (a very large number) sports packages and the BBC licence fee,and entertainment looks pretty expensive.
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Source: theguardian.com