Björk is doing a lot with Apple right now -- she recorded a DJ set for them on New Year's Eve, sat down for a big interview with Zane Lowe this week, and her Cornucopia concert movie will premiere on Apple Music and Apple TV+ tonight before the full version screens in theaters. Now, she has some strong (and justifiable) words for Apple Music streaming competitor Spotify.
While promoting Apple Music Live: Björk in an interview with the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter, Björk called out Spotify's negative impact on artists' livelihoods, deeming the streaming platform "probably the worst thing that has happened to musicians. The streaming culture has changed an entire society and an entire generation of artists."
Journalist Liz Pelly's new book Mood Machine reports on multiple unflattering practices by Spotify, including the streamer's practice of filling playlists with so-called "ghost artists" (generic tracks commissioned by Spotify itself) to further reduce royalty costs. In May of last year, Spotify raised the price of its premium monthly subscription to $10.99 to include 15 extra hours of audiobooks. But charging higher prices wouldn't include a raise in royalty payments to songwriters. Instead, Spotify claimed its audiobook content would allow it to pay a lower "bundle" rate to songwriters. That has not been going over well with said songwriters.
