Digital

Spotify responds to Century Media pulling content

By | Published on Thursday 11 August 2011

Spotify

Spotify has responded to the news that metal label Century Media is pulling its music off the streaming music platform.

As previously reported, Century Media said in a statement earlier this week that it didn’t think Spotify’s current business model was the “way forward”, and that the relatively meagre royalties paid were not worth it compared to the negative impact the label reckons having its music on the streaming platform has on more lucrative record sales. Having your content on Spotify, the label concluded, “accelerates the downward spiral”.

Responding, Spotify said yesterday: “We are sorry that Century Media has opted not to offer its music to their fans through Spotify. Spotify was launched out of a desire to develop a better, more convenient and legal alternative to music piracy. And Spotify now monetises an audience the large majority of whom were downloading illegally (and therefore not making any money for the industry) before Spotify was available”.

On the revenues it is now paying into the music business, the statement continued: “Spotify is now generating serious revenues for rights holders; since our launch just three years ago, we have paid over $100 million to labels and publishers, who, in turn, pass this on to the artists, composers and authors they represent. Indeed, a top Swedish music executive was recently quoted as saying that Spotify is currently the biggest single revenue source for the music industry in Scandinavia. We are very proud of the positive contribution that Spotify makes towards growth in the music industry”.



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