Op-Ed: Effects of Streaming Services

Streaming is on the rise, with many of us, including myself, watching shows on apps such as Netflix or Hulu. In addition to videos, we also stream music. While these apps may seem incredibly convenient and entertaining, they can have negative effects, particularly on artists.

Usually no one ever thinks of the effect on the artists when streaming music. We go on about our day using apps such as Pandora, Soundcloud, Spotify, etc. to listen to our favorite artists thinking we’re supporting them. But if anything, streaming sites have probably done the exact opposite for artists.

Music streaming services such as Pandora, Spotify, Soundcloud, YouTube and Apple Music have been popular among everyone, particularly young people. Because of the high demand for music on these services artists are exploited for their hard work.

Spotify, for instance, pays signed artists $0.0044 for every 340,000 plays, as stated by What Streaming Music Services Pay by Daniel Sanchez. There are about 140 million Spotify users and 57 percent of them use the free service it provides according to the website, Information is Beautiful. To make matters worse, there is a surprising amount of ways that anyone can hack into these apps with only a click of a button.

Not only is the music industry changing, but the way we watch shows is changing as well. According to an article done by Rex Crum, “Survey Streaming TV gaining ground, but growing pains exist.”

1,986 Americans between the ages of 18 and 59 with an annual income of $40,000, showed that about 73 percent of them pay for cable or a satellite provider. In 2015 it was up to 79 percent, proving how people are drifting away from watching traditional TV. 73 percent of the respondents said that along with the paid TV providers they also have a subscription to Netflix. 90 percent of them said that they prefer streaming, 87 percent said they liked TV more.

It is up to the consumer to decide whether they will partake in the new era of streaming and whether or not they will pay for their services. Whether it be Netflix or Hulu or any other service, one has several choices.

This article is very informative, I really appreciate how you cited many facts and statistics in your article. Just clarify them a bit more. Also, your article seems to make some very good points, but it seems to lack a bit in focus. For example, I’d love for you to elaborate on how streaming services hurt artists. Have any specific artists commented on this? Should we hold the streamers accountable, or the streaming websites themselves? Revise and send to Melissa.