Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie joins TIDAL naysayers

I know people who have never bought a CD from artists they consider to be their favorite.

This is the false dichotomy I'm talking about. There are ways to obtain things legally without buying CDs. Are these artists on a streaming service? Do they have a Vevo or other official channel?

It's hard to say how things would be without piracy, but I think iPods and streaming services would have still come to exist. As soon as people noticed that audio files were tiny and hard drives were massive, people would demand that content be available in a more format more convenient than carrying around folders of CDs (iPods). As the internet grew, particularly the mobile internet, streaming services became inevitable.

Everything else I've said follows from that - high availability leads to commoditization, which leads to market pressure to lower prices.

I hear far too often that musicians should make music because it's what they enjoy. But like artists still need to eat and sleep somewhere too.

There is a difference between "eat and sleep" and "make millions because that's what success looks like in this business."

Working in the entertainment industry is a risk. It's true in any business, but particularly in this one, that starting your own business is much riskier than taking a 9-to-5. Nobody is entitled to success.

what happened to having musicians just be musicians and not have to be graphic designers for t shirts and entertainers setting up elaborate stage shows

They're not required to do any of that. Ticket sales can support a modest lifestyle. Popular artists can demand better ticket prices and booking fees.

The rest of those things are "value added services" - they're optional, but they bring additional profits.

Nobody is "just an X" today. There are no "just a musicians" or "just a programmer" or "just a plumber". If they're in it to earn a living, all of those people are "self-employed business people".

The only "just a" that exists today is "just an employee." If that's what you want, then that's fine. That's the path I'm on, and I do my best to maintain a solid work/life balance. When my employer requires that balance to tip, they pay a premium for it. If you want something more, you become self-employed with all the risks inherent to that career.

/r/Music Thread Parent Link - pitchfork.com