Cheating songwriters

Tannin

Perhaps this was mentioned earlier and I missed it, nevertheless, I thought this Guardian article last week was a useful one. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/apr/17/todays-pop-industry-cheats-songwriters-and-deters-the-risk-taking-that-made-abba ; Today’s pop industry cheats songwriters – and deters the risk-taking that made Abba - by Björn Ulvaeus

Yes, that Björn. It seems he can write as well as .. er .. write. I thought the issues raised were useful ones to ponder.



(Disclaimer: I have no dog in this fight. I haven't played music for money since the 1980s, don't have a back-catalogue of hits worth millions (or even pennies), don't have any streaming or subscription services, hardly ever go and see anything live, don't play other people's songs even in my lounge room, and the last record I bought was the debut album of a promising young band called "Dire Straits". I do hear stuff on Youtube from time to time, and suspect that Google pays the artists essentially zero.)

(I hope this is in an appropriate place., Mods please move if needed.)

Roland

Link not working

mart

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/apr/17/todays-pop-industry-cheats-songwriters-and-deters-the-risk-taking-that-made-abba

PolarityMan

I think there has probably always been that kind of almost parasitic trend chasing, we just don't remember all the also-rans from the same time period. If anything the trends move faster now and potentially bring back an element of reward to risk taking.

axisus

I was going to read it but it's a bit long and I'm at work!

Anyone care to sum up the main point??

Habanero

axisus said:

I was going to read it but it's a bit long and I'm at work!

Anyone care to sum up the main point??

 He basically says there's no money in songwriting alone, as in the streaming world the earnings are a small percentage of peanuts.

thecolourbox

Interesting article and well written

DLM

Skim read this. Is the cad finally coming clean on with whom he did the dirty on Agnetha?