The latest study exploring musicians’ views on the music-streaming economy comes from the Oxford Internet Institute and researchers at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.
They surveyed 1,200 musicians for a report that deliberately focused its attention beyond the US and UK. Instead, the responses came from artists in the Netherlands, Nigeria, South Korea, Brazil and Chile.
“Streaming is widely perceived as important by the artists we surveyed,” is one of the findings. “At the same time, satisfaction with streaming income is low across all
countries.”
“This combination of high importance and low satisfaction reveals a clear paradox. Artists depend heavily on streaming platforms for visibility, promotion, audience interaction, and professional relevance, yet the financial returns from these platforms remain limited and unsatisfactory.”
Given the sample, there are variances between countries. 83% of Nigerian artists reported that “their careers have gotten better since streaming” compared to less than half for artists in each of the other four countries.
There were also some “generally cautious, but not alarmist” views on AI music revealed by the study.
“Many artists seem convinced that AI poses little threat to their careers due to its lack of 1) authenticity, 2) emotional expressiveness, and 3) live performance capabilities,” explained the report. You can read it in full here.
