Dee Snider Criticizes Music Streaming Services For Their Low Payments To Artists

Dee Snider Criticizes Music Streaming Services For Their Low Payments To Artists
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Dee Snider, best known as the lead singer and songwriter of the hair-metal band Twisted Sister, is currently doing media to promote his latest album, Leave A Scar. As part of this, he recently spoke with The Metal Voice and criticized both Spotify and YouTube, who he believes are not paying artists adequately for their music.

Spotify is nothing, nothing. You know that guy, the owner of Spotify, said, “Put out more albums.” That was his solution to make more money. Put out more albums, more cans of Coke, come out, sell more cans of Coke, and you get more money, crazy. I remember that guy Psy, whatever it was, Gangnam Style, he had like a billion plays on was it YouTube or whatever it is, and he got $35,000 for a billion. What do you get for a million then? Do the math. What do these young bands get when they go, “We hit 100,000… here’s your 25 cents.”

The record company, they shot themselves in the foot by being greedy. When they came out with the CDs and charged everybody a premium because it was a new technology. And then, 20 years later, they’re still charging a premium for the new technology. It was costing less than a buck to make them. Then people finally said, “You know, you’re ripping us off” But sadly, the artist got hurt while they were trying to punish the record companies.

Dee Snider

Snider is just one of many artists troubled with Spotify’s dominance and low compensation. In the past, Thom Yorke and Taylor Swift had their music removed from the service, but both did eventually return. Seemingly a band not being on a streaming service nowadays makes it a case of out of sight, out of mind. With physical media purchasing declining by the day, streaming is the way of the future.

Twisted Sister band members didn’t actually receive any royalties despite selling millions of records until the band reunited in 1998, having disbanded in 1988. Given this and when piracy and then streaming became a thing, it’s fair to say Snider missed out on vast sums of money. In fact, at one point in his life, he would have to work regular jobs to support his family and even put flyers on cars. Snider did, though, bounce back and would host radio shows and began doing voiceover work before returning to music.

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