Spotify CEO Daniel Ek faced significant backlash after claiming on X (formerly Twitter) that the cost of creating content is “close to zero.” Let’s take a moment to think about that. This guy is a billionaire who built an empire primarily from a streaming platform that pays most artists pennies, and he dares to…. Okay, let’s get on with what he said:
“Today, with the cost of creating content being close to zero, people can share an incredible amount of content. This has sparked my curiosity about the concept of long shelf life versus short shelf life. While much of what we see and hear quickly becomes obsolete, there are timeless ideas or even pieces of music that can remain relevant for decades or even centuries.”
Ek continued reflecting on enduring ideas: “For example, we’re witnessing a resurgence of Stoicism, with many of Marcus Aurelius’s insights still resonating thousands of years later. This makes me wonder: what are the most unintuitive, yet enduring ideas that aren’t frequently discussed today but might have a long shelf life? Also, what are we creating now that will still be valued and discussed hundreds or thousands of years from today?”
Musicians and music fans quickly criticized Ek’s remarks. Composer Tim Prebble responded, “Music will still be valued in a hundred years. Spotify won’t. It will only be remembered as a bad example of a parasitic tool for extracting value from other peoples music. (or ‘content’ as some grifters like to call it).”
Other users echoed similar sentiments, highlighting the low payouts Spotify provides to artists per stream. Primal Scream bassist Simone Marie Butler bluntly commented, “Fuck off you out of touch billionaire.” The Future of Music Coalition added, “It actually can still be expensive to make records, especially if you care about paying your collaborators fairly. Many musicians are skilled at cutting corners to accomplish their creative goals within limited budgets.”
For the record, he has since clarified his statements in a follow-up post on X, but what do you think? Is the damage done, or not?
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