Spotify CEO says cost of making content ‘close to zero’

Nathan Jolly

May 31, 2024 9:54

Spotify founder Daniel Ek took to social media this week to declare that “the cost of creating content” is “close to zero”, a comment that jibes nicely with his platform’s royalty rates.

“Today, with the cost of creating content being close to zero, people can share an incredible amount of content,” Ek wrote on X/Twitter.

“This has sparked my curiosity about the concept of long shelf life versus short shelf life. While much of what we see and hear quickly becomes obsolete, there are timeless ideas or even pieces of music that can remain relevant for decades or even centuries.”

He then went on to talk about Stoicism and made even less sense as the tweet went on.

This comment, unsurprisingly, prompted a great deal of backlash, such as the below reaction from Primal Scream’s current bassist.

FK off u out of touch billionaire . pic.twitter.com/lYzi7LmRYz

— simone marie (@simonemarie4) May 30, 2024

Ek and Spotify recently stopped paying any royalties at all to any artists whose songs are streamed less than a thousand times. In a recent Spotify Loud and Clear report, the company clumsily attempted to paint music as a mere hobby, comparable to kicking the ball with mates down the park, innit?

“As a point of comparison, FIFA estimated there are hundreds of millions of people who self-identify as ‘footballers,’ but 128,694 people are actually getting paid any amount of money from it,” the report said.

“While music and sports are quite different, this demonstrates how widespread the aspiration is to participate in creative and athletic pursuits and make a living from them.”