Google did the same a couple of months back[1].
Is there a reason these companies are actively against independent artists being able to upload the music directly?
[1](https://9to5google.com/2019/04/03/google-play-music-shutdown...)
Is there a reason these companies are actively against independent artists being able to upload the music directly?
[1](https://9to5google.com/2019/04/03/google-play-music-shutdown...)
Allowing artists to upload directly is a legal clusterfuck of minefields and business risks (pardon the language):
- what happens when an artist who is signed with Warner Music starts uploading their music directly?
- what happens when the Big Three start viewing Spotify (or Google, or anyone, really) as their competitor in music distribution?
Somehow almost literally no one focuses on how Warner, Sony, and Universal have a death grip on both artists and distribution companies. But everyone is willing to vilify Spotify.
It's a legal minefield, and the big three love it.
The last thing they would want is for Spotify, or anyone else, to effectively become a record label in their own right.
Ultimately, it is about control. Every decision from the ads you hear to the choice of music you get in your Discover Weekly playlists (or any made by Spotify) come from the influence of label control over the company (and industry). Songs that appear or can be heard near or in sequence of each other to an end user are not really that random.
We as consumers forget that the entirety of Spotify is a heavily curated experience. This includes the features available to us on various devices which directly impact how and what (pod casts) we can listen to and when (free tier on mobile)
I've always thought Spotify could be the Steam of music: To bring artists and listeners together, but I now believe Bandcamps done more in that regard and Spotify might end up being a data harvesting tool for the labels.