Nine Inch Nails star Trent Reznor is slamming the impact of streaming services.
The musician told GQ that he thinks the payment models used by the likes of Spotify and Apple Music have "mortally wounded" many artists, while helping several mainstream musicians.
"I think the terrible payout of streaming services has mortally wounded a whole tier of artists that make being an artist unsustainable," the "Head Like a Hole" artist said.
The age of music streaming has boosted the careers of artists like Drake, who is the most-streamed male artist of all time. However, Reznor states that it hinders the careers of lesser-known artists, citing the American rock band Grizzly Bear as an example. He argues that if streaming does not lift musical artists up as a collective, its impact is harmful to the artform.
"And it's great if you're Drake, and it's not great if you're Grizzly Bear. And the reality is: Take a look around. We've had enough time for the whole 'All the boats rise' argument to see they don't all rise. Those boats rise. These boats don't. They can't make money in any means. And I think that's bad for art."
Reznor then went on to express his disappointment individual streaming services, calling out Apple Music for not developing a more suitable payment plan. In the past, Taylor Swift has called the streamer out for its unfair payment plans.
In 2015, when the streaming service first launched, Swift wrote an open letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook when the platform announced that it would not be paying any artists, producers, or songwriters during the three-month free trial it was offering to new users.
"I'm sure you are aware that Apple Music will be offering a free 3 month trial to anyone who signs up for the service. I'm not sure you know that Apple Music will not be paying writers, producers, or artists for those three months," Swift wrote, calling the move "shocking, disappointing, and completely unlike this historically progressive and generous company."
After she revoked their privilege to stream her 1989 album, which she had just released at the time, the company reversed its decision and decided to pay artists throughout the trial period.
Reznor continued that he thought that the company would continue to develop a better streaming model, stating: "I thought maybe at Apple there could be influence to pay in a more fair or significant way, because a lot of these services are just a rounding error compared to what comes in elsewhere, unlike Spotify where their whole business is that. But that's tied to a lot of other political things and label issues, and everyone's trying to hold onto their little piece of the pie and it is what it is."
As he stands up for artists throughout the vast musical landscape, Reznor also acknowledges that the industry itself has changed from what he once thought it would be.
"I also realize, I think that people just want to turn the faucet on and have music come in. They're not really concerned about all the romantic sh-- I thought mattered."
