Frank Gambale: Spotify - In my mind it's utterly pitiful and a disgraceful display of greed and once again Artists being ripped off.

Frank Gambale making a stand for musicians

Frank Gambale

Hi Folks,
Ok, I think you all know that I am NOT one to rant on...but today I have taken a stand, alongside some other fine Artists who have and are doing the same. My angst is toward music streaming companies such as Rhapsody ( with the emphasis on "sody", Rdio and Spotify to name but a few. )

I have instructed CD baby to remove all my catalog of music from those streaming sites.

Why? You may well ask!

If we as Artists believe our music to be worthless, then Spotify and the like are GREAT places to put your music.  17,000 plays of one of my tunes on Spotify paid a whopping 15.3 cents!!!

Now, look folks, I talk to people all the time and many of them say they use Spotify. The consumers love these sites. $10 a month for a subscription, then they play and listen to whatever they want...completely oblivious to the fact that the folks running Spotify and the like are lining their pockets and paying Artists less than peanuts...because I can't afford to buy peanuts to eat if I had to rely on Spotify royalties.

Now folks, I'm not against streaming, I think it's awesome, however, I DO think that these companies need to realize where their revenue is coming from.

In my mind it's utterly pitiful and a disgraceful display of greed and once again Artists being ripped off. Folks, WE, as musicians ARE the source!! We love what we do, but let's face it, we're not a charity!

Here's the facts:

Rhapsody royalty rate = .0091 cents per play
Rdio royalty rate = .0045 cents per play
Spotify royalty rate = .0009 to ZERO ( YES ZERO!!! ) per play!

I rest my case folks. The regular airwave radio stations pay roughly 10 cents a play...these internet radio stations need to pay Artists an actual royalty rate that reflects RESPECT for the music, Artists and Musicians who make the music in the first place.

FG Out!