Earlier this month, James Blake went viral for a series of comments on social media about the royalties that artists earn from streaming services and TikTok. In an Instagram story, he criticized TikTok’s effect on songwriting and listeners’ attention spans. He specifically detailed the pressure on artists to prioritize social media marketing over creating music. Blake referenced TikTok's reduction of songs to short clips, leading to fans only knowing a small portion of them.
James Blake later took to Twitter to elaborate on his comments, opening a dialogue with his fellow artists. “If we want quality music, somebody is gonna have to pay for it. Streaming services don’t pay properly. Labels want a bigger cut than ever and just sit and wait for you to go viral. TikTok doesn’t pay properly, and touring is getting prohibitively expensive for most artists,” he wrote. Blake also stated that streaming encourages artists to produce and release music quickly, diminishing the creative process. Such little pay prepares consumers for “AI-generated music that pays musicians nothing at all.” Tyler, The Creator, Blood Orange, Shay Lia, and others supported his comments.
Further expressing his frustrations with the exploitation of artists from labels, digital streaming platforms, and the industry at large, he called out the financial and artistic struggles faced by artists as a result of these business practices. Since then, James Blake has been campaigning for his fellow artists. His tweets and behind-the-scenes conversations have culminated in the announcement of Vault, a brand-new direct-to-consumer platform specializing in unreleased music. Here is what we know about James Blake’s latest venture.
Vault Is a Direct-To-Consumer Platform
Yesterday (March 20th), James Blake took to social media, once again, to share some statistics about how “one million plays equals $3,000. If you are signed to a label, then that number’s cut by at least 50%.” After breaking down the splits of streaming royalties and the cost of creating, he revealed a possible solution for this issue. James Blake revealed that quickly after his viral social media posts, he was contacted by the creators of Vault. The service is primarily geared towards unreleased music, which does not always see the light of day due to not meeting “certain requirements or trends,” according to Blake. The British musician is assisting the platform’s launch in a major way. He is Vault's first artist to share their unreleased songs, which can be unlocked for a $5-per-month subscription.
Pros & Cons Of Vault
Vault presents itself as a logical solution to the frequently expressed frustrations of artists with streaming companies and record labels. With James Blake backing the recently launched platform, it clearly offers a way to combat the current system of streaming payouts. Based on the current available information, it raises some pros and cons for both artists and fans. For artists, Vault cuts out the middleman, allowing them to receive fair compensation for their work at a direct-to-consumer rate. It also connects artists with their audience. Some perks include the chance for fans to chat with artists and priority offers including presale access to upcoming tours. Vault allows artists to share their unreleased music as frequently as they want.
So far, some cons of Vault include the fact that it is still being worked on. As explained by James Blake, he is the first artist to be a part of “this experiment,” specifying that the platform will add features or updates as necessary. But, as a paid service, it becomes just another subscription for fans. Many consumers already pay a monthly fee for one or multiple music and video streaming platforms. Vault seems to be most beneficial for artists like James Blake with established fanbases, not those aiming to develop their audience.
In his video announcement, James Blake said that only “19% of artists on Spotify have over 1,000 monthly listeners.” It seems that Vault would positively affect this percentage of artists significantly more than other creators. Fans are more than likely going to pay subscriptions for their established favorites, excluding up-and-coming artists looking to build their careers. There is also the fact that this business model already exists with platforms like Patreon, but Vault positions itself as a personable service that specializes in unreleased content.
“Drop Music On Your Own Terms”
Vault’s slogan is a promising sentiment to artists fed up with how their music is valued by streaming and social media platforms. It offers a way for them to connect with their fans on their own accord, providing access to unreleased material and exclusive content. Most importantly, it cuts out extra expenses and allows them to release music at their desired frequency. With James Blake leading the charge, we will see how Vault fares in the current landscape of the music industry.
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