Music fans got an early Christmas present when, on December 24, 2015, all of The Beatles' major albums were released on Spotify, Apple Music and other streaming services.
This is a big problem. After all, the Beatles have traditionally been slow to embrace new digital media innovations. It wasn't until 2010 (two years after the launch of Spotify!) that his music became available for download from the iTunes Store.
With all the criticism on the act of music streaming by artists like Taylor Swift Why Taylor Swift Is Wrong About Spotify Why Taylor Swift Is Wrong About Spotify Last week, Taylor Swift pulled her music from Spotify, inspired by countless songs. She punctured headlines and reignited the debate over streaming music services. Read more, Adele Why is Adele wrong to stop you at her new album? Why is Adele wrong to stop him? Why is Adele refusing to allow services like Spotify and Apple Music to stream her new album 25. Which is a sensible move? bad for her, her fans and her record label. Read More, and Taylor Swift Again Why Taylor Swift Is Wrong With Apple Music Why Taylor Swift Is Wrong With Apple Music Taylor Swift recently persuaded Apple to pay artists for songs streamed during Apple Music free trials. But she is wrong. Again. Read More instead, they have fully embraced it. This is important, both for The Beatles and for you. This is why.
There are many young people who have never heard of the Beatles. These Kanye fans don't know who Paul McCartney is, and that's okay. These Kanye fans don't know who Paul McCartney is, and that's okay. Kanye West and Sir Paul McCartney collaborated. on a new track. You will totally believe what happened next. Read More If your main source of music is torrents, SoundCloud, YouTube, or even Spotify, The Beatles' work simply won't have appeared on your radar.
Although I know who they are and generally like the work of The Beatles, I didn't listen to them much until they appeared on Spotify. His music just wasn't easily accessible through the channels he listened to. Most people under a certain age are in a similar position.
Yet within the first few days of its release on Spotify, The Beatles was streamed more than 70 million times with 65 percent of listeners under the age of 34. It's not that people didn't want to hear The Beatles before this. It's just that, like me, they cared more about comfort than a band that broke up over 40 years ago. If you're not prepared to buy the latest music from the hottest artists, you're definitely not going to pay a penny for Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. .
The thing is, though, the demand is there. The Beatles are one of the most influential acts of the 20th century. Yes, there will always be people who don't know who Paul McCartney is. These Kanye fans don't know who Paul McCartney is, and that's okay. These Kanye fans don't know who Paul McCartney is, and that's okay. Kanye West and Sir Paul McCartney collaborated on a new track. You will totally believe what happened next. Read More
Ever since I listened to The Beatles at Christmas, more obscure tracks have started appearing on my (amazing) Discover Weekly playlist Discover new music with Spotify autoplaylists Discover new music with Spotify autoplaylist Help you discover new and awesome music. We are here to walk you through these auto playlist makers. Read more . Just by being on Spotify, your music is accessible in a way it's never been before. So this is guaranteed to expose the Beatles to people who may never have otherwise heard of them.
In other words, it keeps the most important artist of the last century relevant in today's music consumer culture.
Paid downloads are on the decline. Last year, according to Nielsen, they fell 12.5 percent, for a total decline of 23.4 percent over the last two years. They predict that by 2021, paid music downloads will have fallen 93 percent from their peak.
For the first time last year, a major record label generated more revenue from royalty payments than from digital sales. The Financial Times reports that Warner Music Group's streaming revenue for 2015 "exceeded download revenue by a significant amount." According to the label's CEO, Stephen Cooper, “Streaming continues on a trajectory to become our biggest source of revenue.”
The Beatles may be the most successful act in history, but even they can't object to numbers like these. The simple truth is that people listen to music in a different way than they used to when the Beatles were active.
The idea of owning media is quickly becoming outdated. The End of Ownership:Netflix, Spotify, and The Streaming Generation. The End of Ownership:Netflix, Spotify, and The Streaming Generation. of digital media. Read more . The Beatles recognizing this and getting on board with streaming is an important milestone given their previously conservative stance on digital music. When historians look back at the rise of streaming services, I can see that December 24, 2015 is considered a very significant date.
I've said it over and over again:streaming music is a better long-term source of income than selling albums. Spotify pays between 0.006 and 0.008 cents per stream. It takes approximately 140 streams of a track for rights holders to receive the same cut they would from a single track sale.
That figure of 140 streams may sound like a lot but it really isn't. If you examine how you listen to music 6 things you can learn from Spotify's year in music 6 things you can learn from Spotify's year in music Spotify has launched its year in music feature for the year 2015. Break down the music you listened to in the last Year, and much more besides, as you are yet to discover. Read More I listened to Blink-182 a total of 829 times last year, and will listen to them a similar number this year. Over the next decade they will earn much more from me than if I had bought all their albums just once.
One of the reasons artists like Taylor Swift keep their newest albums off streaming services is that they want to maximize immediate record sales and profits. They want a big release so they can say, “Look how many millions of records we've sold!”
For the Beatles, that doesn't matter; they aren't releasing any new albums any time soon. They have already sold an unimaginable number of albums. They earn little by trying to maximize short-term profits. Instead, by having their music on Spotify, they can make more money from existing fans.
My own mother has bought a lot of The Beatles albums, but she loves Spotify too. I know how she'll be listening to them for years to come and it doesn't involve a CD player..
Having The Beatles on streaming services is not only important for new and young fans, but also allows older fans who already own all of their music to continue to support their all-time favorite band.
There's another big reason the Beatles make their music available on streaming services:the services they're available on add to their credibility.
For every article I write about Spotify, one of the main criticisms leveled against streaming services like Spotify by readers is that there are huge gaps in their catalogues. They have a favorite artist or style of music that just isn't available on a particular streaming service. One of the few reasons to choose Apple Music, for example, is that you have access to Taylor Swift's music.
If The Beatles, one of the greatest artists of all time, isn't in your library, then that's a big gap. Until recently, that was a loophole that was in every streaming service, but now it's closed.
It's also a great incentive for other artists to join as well; The Beatles have made streaming services more relevant than ever. For more than 50 years, where the Beatles have led, other acts have followed. Let's hope it continues with more artists joining streaming services as a direct result of The Beatles doing so.
The Beatles joining Spotify, Apple Music and other streaming services is a big deal. It represents a historic moment in the rise of streaming music, and more importantly, it's important to the band, the services, and the fans.
First, downloading is on the decline, and many younger listeners only listen to music streaming services. Until now, The Beatles just weren't on his radar. That doesn't mean they didn't like the Beatles, just that the effort of listening to them outweighs the benefit of doing so. That has changed now; The Beatles will continue to be heard and discovered by people of all ages. Teenagers who have never given much thought to their music will find them on Spotify and be amazed.
Second, Spotify is still paying per stream. If you are a huge fan of The Beatles and already own each of their albums, then you can continue to support them by streaming their music. The Beatles are never going to have another album release, so they don't have to worry about putting out big numbers, they can just move on and enjoy the long tail of streaming revenue.
Finally, where The Beatles go, other bands will follow, as they always have. For Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming services, this is a big event. They can (and have) used The Beatles unite as a huge selling point. It also gives them greater relevance; If the biggest band in the world is on your music service, then it's probably time people stood up and took notice.
So, to wrap it up, the Beatles have embraced streaming, so isn't it about time you did the same? After all, everyone is old or dead, so if they can see that this is the future, surely anyone can do it. Even you.
What do you think about The Beatles joining Spotify, Apple Music and the like? Are you more likely to start using one of these services now? Or is it that The Beatles in these services does not make any difference to him? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
