daniel ek

Following a public ultimatum which challenged the co-presence of disputed podcaster Joe Rogan on the Spotify platform, folk legend Neil Young has left the streaming service, along with a notable solidarity fraction, among them Joni Mitchell and others. While this may seem like a pure moral gesture, the dispute actually reveals more about the defects of the streaming business at large. Time for a personal reflection by NBHAP editor Andreas.

With the current shutdown of the live music industry the majority of artists are facing one giant existential crisis throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Suddenly, there’s an urgency to talk about the value of art and music again and about what part the current streaming scene plays in this. NBHAP head Norman Fleischer took a moment to reflect on the current crisis and a possible way out of it.