What Impact Has Spotify Had on Music and Wider Society?

By Aylin Aliev

As a 20 something year old, I feel as though I’ve lived through a strange limbo. 

I’ve lived through the emergence of modern technology and can pinpoint each technological advancement to a specific part of my life. What is considered nostalgic now, was what many of us lived through – from cassette tapes, to buying CDs, to burning CD bootlegs from LimeWire and to now, where we can simply put our headphones on and tap on Spotify to listen to the playlist that it’s created depending on our mood for the day. 

As a consumer of Spotify I feel satisfied because I get what I pay for. From personalised playlists to access to millions of songs by typing a few letters into the search bar. 

But, as a fan of music, I feel quite troubled. 

Why? 

The convenience of Spotify is what makes it so great, that’s true. One tap, a couple of swipes and you may have found your new favourite band. You’re playing their album on repeat until you get bored and get recommended something new. This means I can never get bored of what I listen to and there is not a long wait for new music because there is constant new music.

As a result, I’m not the only one who is bound to Spotify (and not just by direct debit). 286 million people on planet Earth are active Spotify users (it’s probably going up by the second...) and 130 million are premium customers. This means that 130 million people are paying an X amount of money (depending on their plan) to get access to 50 million tracks.

This has helped to create a technological ‘Spotify market’. As a consumer, it feels like walking through a neon illuminated street with various album artworks and videos plastered all around you.

It can be chaotic walking down the ‘Spotify market’ because there is so much that takes your attention, as you are trying to navigate through it, you are constantly being spoon fed recommendations by the app. Thus, this has created consumers who are eager to explore and learn more about their taste hence, an average Spotify user listens to about 41 unique artists per week. 

Again, this is great. As a fan, I’m discovering underground music, finding new artists and learning more about my taste. 

But, here comes the dark side of it. 

What exactly am I paying for? What exactly are you paying for?

I have no physical proof or evidence of what I love. It’s all stored in an app that I’ve downloaded and paid for on my phone. I don’t have that connection, that sense of nostalgia, that anticipation – I could just pre-save an album that’s about to be released, so I can get a notification as soon as it’s out in order to listen to it.  

Thus creating what is known as ‘instant media gratification’. This concept is becoming increasingly unconscious day by day, whereby as a generation we are addicted and used to getting what we want instantly. What this means is, if you want to listen to ‘Rumours’ by Fleetwood Mac, you don’t have to wait to buy the physical copy – you can just search it on your streaming service, which allows you to listen to it immediately. That rush of serotonin caused by getting something you want, creates a drive and an addiction. 

We don’t realise how we’ve gotten used to being spoon fed by streaming services – it’s hidden in the depths of our mind somewhere. Next time you find yourself wanting to listen to an album you haven’t listened to in a while, try to stop yourself and wait a couple days. You’ll realise that you’ll soon start to feel frustrated, without exactly knowing why. 

We no longer have the patience to wait for a new release.

We want it now, we need it now.  

To those who have lived through the stage of albums getting teased and the excitement towards the release date - how does it make you feel? 

Personally, I feel empty. I loved having that physical album, looking through the booklet, reading each detail, admiring the artwork, holding the CD, putting it into the player and waiting for the first notes of the first song to chime through my speakers... 

As a result of the convenience of platforms such as Apple Music, Spotify and Amazon Music, physical CD sales have gone down drastically. People no longer have that need to buy the physical album as everything is a lot more accessible and cheaper through streaming. Businesses, namely HMV, have found it difficult to cope to the point where they’ve been on the brink of collapse three times. Independent music businesses are also in the same boat, whereby sales are reducing exponentially. 

However, vinyl sales have come to save the day for businesses and music fans alike.

Vinyl sales have been increasing because the music industry feels inclined to cater towards more niche music fans as CD players are becoming increasingly obsolete. As a result, cassette and particularly Vinyl sales have gone up by about 1.6% every year. To the point where one in every 8 physical albums is vinyl. Great! A triumph for businesses such as HMV and indie music shops! 

In fact, not only Vinyl and cassette sales have been booming. A study has found that music festival attendance is at an all-time high, with a 4% increase in attendance between 2018 and 2019. In fact, Generation Z (16-19 year olds) are in highest attendance of music festivals in comparison to any other generation, including millennials. This is likely due to the reason that Generation Z has been impacted the most by the emergence of modern technology and how that has taken away from the bond they have with their favourite artists and bands; as a result of this, they feel the need to show adoration by being a part of the crowd in a festival/concert. 

However, it is definitely not cheap to be a music fan in this day and age... 

Just a comparison of prices: Spotify premium costs around £10 per month, (depending on your plan), a CD costs around £6.99 and a Vinyl costs around £24.99. CD players are obsolete at this point, so, if you want to stay with the times, as a music fan you would probably prefer to buy Vinyl. This is not accessible to everyone thus, there are music fans that are losing out. 

Similarly, festivals have become extremely commercial, ticket prices have been hiking up year by year because of the increasing demand. As a result, in order to show adoration towards your favourite artist/band, you have to fork out around £100 per ticket, which is just not possible for every fan.

This is quite sad because nowadays, it feels as though you are not engaging with your favourite artist. I don’t feel the same rush when I presave the album onto my Spotify account. Streaming apps have made it increasingly difficult to enjoy your music as a fan and enthusiast, all of the fun out of your hobby has been sucked out with it becoming extremely commercial. To go to a festival now, it feels like you’re taking a mortgage out for the extortionate ticket prices...

With the world getting increasingly technological and advanced, it can be a joy but also a burden. It can take away from your hobbies and job. I feel like a hypocrite as a music fan because I feel obliged to criticise how Spotify has taken away from one of my passions yet at the same time, I am bound to it and use it on a daily basis. Thus, I feel like I have to put up with the crazy prices of the consequences it’s bought... however, I’m not the only one who needs to put up with it. Music businesses are losing out on key customers and festivals are making it increasingly difficult for music fans to immerse themselves in what they love. 

Just some food for thought.