Putting music on streaming sites: worth it?

[pklima]

It seems like I've been pulled into an originals project. We have one track so far.

Now, it's been ten years since I've been this involved in anything that was "released" and back then, this meant physical CDs. Yesterday singer asks me if I think we should put our new tracks on Spotify and other streaming sites, and I thought I'd ask here, because I have no clue.

We already have this song on Youtube and will have more in the future for the boring technical reason that I need to embed them in an online store's media section which supports YT and Vimeo only. But other than that... are we missing out on anything by not having songs on Spotify, Bandcamp, Soundcloud etc? Does Tidal still exist?

I figure if you're going to get millions of streams, then you'll get a little money from Spotify, and if you have enough fans that will buy physical media and merch then Bandcamp is worth it. But for those of us not (not yet?) at that level and just looking to give our friends a way to listen to our stuff and a link we can post on Discords etc. to build a bit of a fanbase, is there any benefit to doing any of this?

FWIW we're doing rather niche shoegaze, though I figure making this thread more general will be helpful to others.

 

[Geddyfleaharris]

I just found out that the metal band I played with from '07 to '09 uploaded 6 songs we recorded back then to Spotify. I only found out because we decided to reform and the singer provided us with links for re-learning the songs. Now I am showing all my friends I am on Spotify! Even at my age I find that cool! Small pleasures.

 

[Lo-E]

It really depends upon your goals. My band is on a ton of playlists and we’re getting lots of streams and we’re happy to have people hearing our music. We’ve also made tens of dollars! If it’s the money you’re after, streaming is pathetic. If you want to be heard it’s a great way to go.

 

[sean_on_bass]

Invalid Link Removed

I'd say getting your music onto those platforms is par for the course if you want people to be able to widely access it. Many folks use the company linked above to help get their music distributed easily to various platforms.

 

[Pings Bass]

If you want people everywhere to be able to stream your music on their favorite streaming services (including free, ad-supported ones), it's worth it.

If you want to make money off it, forget about it. You'll be lucky to recoup whatever you pay to distrokid or CD baby.

 

[Mannyinnewyork]

It can't hurt to place your music where it may be heard and appreciated. Worst case is that you get little if any response. Make your music, I believe that is more rewarding than a few dollars from some online downloads. The joy of creativity does not necessarily correlate to monetary rewards - and if it does, good for you, but either way, play, create and enjoy.

 

[CryingBass]

Tidal is still alive. I also use Qobuz. Between the 2 virtually everything is covered. YMMV

 

[Space Pickle]

My feeling is that streaming is pointless unless the royalty rules get changed. I have a record coming out probably in the new year and I'm going to put it on Bandcamp. My feeling is that I would rather make 10 sales on Bandcamp than 10000 streams on Spotify.

 

[CryingBass]

Watch the Hollywood strikes. Thongs might, maybe get better.

 

[CryingBass]

Funny typo above.

 

[Velkov]

Put your music on Wavlake (or other value-4-value platforms) to earn satoshis. Learn about bitcoin. Adam Curry is starting a revolution in music distribution that most musicians know little about.

 

[wagdog]

My son’s band put their music on Spotify and developed a following in the nordic countries. Fun, but no real money in it.

 

[kleinenenten]

Funny typo above.

Or an accurate Freudian slip?

 

[hieronymous]

I played actively in bands since high school, finally bowed out in 1995. Got back into it in 2002, including recording, both at a friend's studio for the drums and with a laptop to overdub bass and synths. Took me a while to figure out how to share stuff, but I guess I was in the right place at the right time, myspace or audiostreet.net in the beginning, Soundcloud/YouTube/Bandcamp now. I've never made any money at it (well, I might have made about $10), but I think it's pretty cool that people have been listening to my music for over 20 years. I say go for it - even though it may not generate any money, it's a pretty easy way to get your music out there.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

No reason why not to put your music on Spotify. On the other hand, chances of standing out are nil.

8. Spotify uploads 60,000 new tracks every day.
Spotify confirms through its Co-Head of Music Jeremy Erlich that the company adds 60,000 new tracks in a day. That amounts to 22 million tracks uploaded in a single year. It also means that a new song enters Spotify every 1.4 seconds.

In total, Spotify has over 90 million tracks in its database. By 2022, the company is expected to reach the 100-million milestone. For context, Spotify only used to upload 40,000 songs a day back in 2019.

Source: Music Business Worldwide
20 Spotify Statistics 2023: Usage, Revenue & More.

 

[Killing Floor]

Told this before but a 23 year old kid in my neighborhood is a rapper and that’s all he does. He probably performs live 3-4 times a year and has never sold physical media. But he has well over 100 million individual streams so between that and product placement he’s a self made millionaire as an original musician.

 

[Grinderman]

My feeling is that streaming is pointless unless the royalty rules get changed. I have a record coming out probably in the new year and I'm going to put it on Bandcamp. My feeling is that I would rather make 10 sales on Bandcamp than 10000 streams on Spotify.

Even so, why not do both?

 

[5aP]

Yes to youtube and bandcamp (even a facebook), no to spotify.

 

[Egg250]

If your goal is to make money, you might rethink your life choices. Using a distribution service is a convenient way to get your music out to the world, although you could submit directly to the streaming services. I think a distribution service (we use Distrokid) is the way to go because it submits your music to streaming services worldwide. We got a notification that we are now on Deezer, which is primarily in France. You never know which market your music might explode. I guess I took the long way to say, it couldn't hurt to release your music through a streaming service.

Monetization on YouTube seems to be the current big thing. You just need to take the time to create content and build your following. Merchandise is another good way to make money, but you gotta build that following, and it takes time.

 

[pklima]

Thanks for all the replies.

I'm very curious about this specifically, as we're not looking for money (got other projects for that), but building a following that would show up to gigs would be nice:

My son’s band put their music on Spotify and developed a following in the nordic countries. Fun, but no real money in it.

How does this work for the people who manage to make it work?