It’s Easier to Criticize than Create.

One of the tenets by which I live is that, “It is always easier to criticize than create.” As I got older, it became obvious that criticizing was self-important, while creating was sharing. Too often, I was quick to judge while not offering anything in return. I see the #fixstreaming and #brokenrecord efforts heading down that path. There are thousands of social media posts by musician unions, academies, musicians and even a few well known influencers, pointing out the earning inequity of today’s streaming music economy. The common thread though, is that they offer no concrete way to actually fix the system. All of the suggestions involve the big streaming services changing their economic models, legislation to force such changes or starting streaming services that simply pay musicians more. The latter of which is somewhat unrealistic given the marketshare dominated by only a few companies and the general apathy by which the music listening public views the issue.

Adding value to solve a problem is creative, while simply demanding change is not. Perhaps to actually fix streaming, all of those criticizing should consider a creative solution. Streaming, is like a large river flowing down a canyon. The walls are tall and steep. The more time the river runs, the deeper the canyon and the more difficult it is to change its course. Instead, imagine digging another channel parallel to the mighty river, one that flows from the same lake.

To understand the foundation of Fair Trade Music Distribution philosophy, one must come to realize, that musicians struggle to earn a decent living, because their most valuable asset, listeners being able to play their music whenever they like, is being given away rather than monetized. Phonograph records and compact discs were physical representations of Play on Demand. When streaming became the predominant method to distribute music, the physical nature of Play on Demand was lost and with it, the most important stream of income for music content creators. Rather than embarking upon the near impossible task of diverting a river’s flow, a parallel channel is much more achievable.

Working with, rather than against, streaming music providers, we can create a parallel Play on Demand sales channel that replaces legacy physical media. In doing so, the most important source of income for musicians is restored, without disrupting and competing with the current streaming ecosystem. The key to this strategy is using a ubiquitous public data repository for Play on Demand ownership that easily fits into the data model of streaming while providing statistics needed for streaming royalties, transferable ownership and sales asset distribution among content creators. Take a look at our vision to see all the details.