Surely, Spotifys boss must know and do better than this? In a post Daniel Ek muses about the “cost of creating content being close to zero”. Read that line again and tell me you don’t want walk out into the fucking ocean. The cost of "creating content” isn’t “close to zero” by any measure. But spreading that notion is all that’s wrong with the music – and indeed, the radio/podcasting – industry today. Confusing ability and distribution with creation is pathetic.What we are dealing with here is a man who became a billionaire on THAT EXACT STATEMENT. Like me he has grown up in Sweden and I understand where he’s coming from: a place where massive public spending on education and possibilities making art is the foundation for artists missions and lifestyle sacrifices made possible by a decent (again: not free) social welfare that encourages risk and non-profit work. I understand that one may forget these basics after 33 years of poorly executed deregulations of business practices and for Ek personally: after two decades of being knee deep in cash generated by the creative worker bees. But just because something disappear from your immediate eyesight doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Music creators are struggling, just like they did when you where living in that less well-off suburb, Daniel. Maybe even more so now than then, no matter how “close to zero” you place the cost of their work. This is IT, people! Distributors of art confuses art *creation* with *crafting*. Which, as most artists know well, is merely the final stage of creation, which could take minutes, could take years. And that "close to zero" statement stems from AI – make no mistake.Daniel: the fact that the hardware and software to *produce* music (or any art) in some cases is “close to zero” doesn’t reflect the actual bloody COST of *creating* it. For Christ’s sake, you’re a non-stupid man, you really should understand this. I realize that you want to move on from the growth stage (btw how long has it been? Around … 20 years?) and into the profit stage of your little endeavor but cutting the cash where you’ve started cutting is NOT the right move. Focus on respecting the creators and build a multi-tier platform, start existing for ANY OTHER REASON than growth and cash. I mean it is not that hard to grasp: without you music is fine, without (non-AI) *creators* of music there is NO quality Spotify. Maybe, just maybe … you’re not interested in quality? But I thought you LOVED music? Or do you love the digital manifestations of it in your massive data and de facto regular banks?BTW: if you REALLY thought the cost of creating is near zero, thus discounting the 10000s of hours any serious creator put into mastering the crafts needed to create original art, how come Spotify isn’t SUPER profitable? BTW2: stop it w the Aurelius references, only the pure hearted should opt for stoicism, whatever some lame Silicon Valley influencer told you
