Twister Sister singer Dee Snider said Spotify CEO Daniel Ek “should be taken out and shot” over what he believes is an unfair compensation for artists’ music.
“With Spotify, the wholesale, you know, you pay a one monthly fee — we’re getting so, so little, and that guy from Spotify, I want to tell you, he should be taken out in shot,” Snider said during a recent appearance on the YouTube podcast The Jeremy White Show.
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“When he heard that artists were complaining about how little we get paid, his response was, ‘Make more music,’ like, we’re producing cans of Coke, you know?” the We’re Not Gonna Take It singer continued. “It’s insulting and belittling.”
Snider appeared to be reacting to a 2020 interview, in which Ek said, “There is a narrative fallacy here, combined with the fact that, obviously, some artists that used to do well in the past may not do well in this future landscape, where you can’t record music once every three to four years and think that’s going to be enough.”
“he artists today that are making it realize that it’s about creating a continuous engagement with their fans,” the Spotify CEO added. “It is about putting the work in, about the storytelling around the album, and about keeping a continuous dialogue with your fans.”
Spotify has faced scrutiny in recent years for a few reasons, including the music streaming platform’s profit-sharing breakdown. During the interview, Snider went on to say that unlike Spotify, he is able to rake in the cash when via music licensing.
“For me, it’s licensing,” Snider said. “The licensing is the last godsend, the last oasis where you can actually make some money. Steven Spielberg chooses We’re Not Gonna Take It for the finale of Ready Player One. Thank you, God, because I’m not getting anything from Spotify.”
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