Somewhere along the way music started becoming a sport of sorts. A “game” more or less. Depending on how you look at it, you can argue it always has been, but in modern times, it feels to be very much driven by digital streaming. A game where streaming numbers feel like the points and everyone is interested in getting a new high score.
The problem with a mindset of comparing or scorekeeping, so to speak, is that it assumes someone has to be a winner and someone a loser. Even if that score is only being measured against yourself it is still being viewed as winning and losing.
Are there winners and losers in music and art?
What drives that mindset and why does the current climate of releasing music feel like it is dominated by the pressure to obtain the most streams?
I don’t think it’s Spotify’s fault.
We love to point fingers and blame others. It is just easier that way, but I believe it is no one’s fault but our own. Services like Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal, were nothing more than a platform. A platform in itself is just an environment where a product and consumer can exist, navigate and interact. How the platform is used and navigated by the users is where the fault begins.
It is not spotify’s fault that we began idolizing the numbers and chasing a new “high score”. Again, whether that high score is measured against someone else’s streaming numbers or our own previous numbers is irrelevant. It is our own egos that did that. The ability to see how your song is “performing” in real-time on streaming platforms is an incredible tool that has tons of practical use as a creator. The problem is that we can also see how others’ songs are performing and comparison is the egos favorite tool to use to fuel our value.
Comparison says “you could do better” “you’re not good enough”
I still return to the question though, what real power does streaming numbers hold?
Trading Impact for Consumption
Here is where I feel something shifted.
Because we now have a tangible and readily available gauge to monitor the consumption of our art, we quickly made the parallel that consumption equals value or overall “impact” that our art is having on our listeners.
I believe that is the current mindset of a lot of artists releasing music today. Streams equal value. Streaming numbers is our currency.
Is that true though?
Does consumption always equal impact?
Because something is popular does it mean it’s valuable?
Does every listener or consumer gain value from what it is they are listening to and consuming?
I don’t believe so, and there is where the problem lies with tracking and comparing the numbers of streams as a gauge for successfully understanding your true value and impact as a musician and artist. Because a consumer does not always directly equal someone who is receiving value from your art, you can not assume that the more streams or consumption something gets that the more valuable it is.
While the law of averages and “power in numbers” theory is true (we call it “going viral” nowadays) and could be used as an argument against my ideas and thoughts here, I don’t believe a simple push in the number of eyes and ears on something is still enough to always equal real value or impact. Again, because the system is not absolute, it is a flawed metric and mindset to set as a foundation
Understanding What is Important
The final question that is needed to really tie this whole conversation together is, what exactly is value or impact when it comes to music? How can we measure that value if streaming and consumption numbers are not an absolute, direct way of understanding said value or impact?
At the end of the day, I think that is a question that needs to be answered differently for each and every artist and creator. Everyone creates for a different reason which means everyone's intentions, goals, and overall desired outcome or “impact” are different. On a personal level, I find it hard to accept or believe that anyone is ever releasing music simply to get a high score on streaming platforms. I feel that at its core the desire to obtain any amount of streams or consumers is rooted in something more.
The desire to feel popular.
The desire to be accepted and liked.
The desire to know that your art is good.
The desire to express a feeling or emotion.
The desire to make a statement.
All of these desires are valid, but at the same time, these desires are not measured appropriately through streaming counts alone. So, do I think music is a numbers game? At the core of it, I do not. But I feel that by making it a numbers game we are allowing ourselves to hide behind the numbers and not own up to the real desires and goals we have for ourselves and our art.