Should music streaming platforms charge to store music? Con Raso of Tuned Global explains the potential impacts on indie and major rightsholders.
Mar 7, 2024
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Should music streaming platforms charge for storing music? Con Raso of Tuned Global explains the competition between large and small rightsholders. They debate the impacts of charging for storage on indie artists and labels. Imagine a future with small indie streaming platforms like small indie labels.
Charging streaming platforms for music storage could level the playing field for indie artists.
The rise of specialized streaming platforms and innovative storage solutions may revolutionize the music industry.
Deep dives
Challenges of Storing Music Data on Streaming Platforms
Streaming platforms face the dilemma of storing vast amounts of data leading to escalating storage and distribution costs. The continuing influx of music tracks poses a technical and commercial challenge, especially for independent artists. The growing data volume not only impacts storage costs but also intensifies competition, particularly affecting emerging and smaller artists.
Proposed Solution: Charging for Storage on DSPs
An idea surfaced to address the mounting storage costs by implementing a small flat fee for each track delivered to streaming platforms. This approach aims to alleviate the burden on service providers handling extensive catalogs and supports fairer compensation for independent artists. However, the practical implementation and potential repercussions on emerging talents raise concerns about creating a tiered system within the music industry.
Future Possibilities: Niche Streaming Platforms and AI Interfaces
The evolving landscape hints at the emergence of bespoke streaming platforms catering to niche audiences through specialized interfaces. Leveraging generative AI, platforms may offer customized experiences while reducing storage costs. Expanding the API economy and exploring decentralised storage models could pave the way for diverse, cost-effective streaming services tailored to varied music preferences worldwide.
Ep. 144: Tuned Global's CEO Con Raso joins Joe Sparrow to talk about something that sounds a bit intangible and distant: the cost of storing all the music that gets streamed. If it’s essentially free for owners of huge catalogues of music to upload their files to someone else’s server, then they will – and smaller rightsholders like DIY artists and labels will be under increasing competition against an ever-increasing volume.
Con and Joe chatted about whether DSPs should charge for storage and what the effects of that may look like for large and small rightsholders - and they also talked about a hypothetical future with small indie streaming platforms – just like small indie labels.