How Musicians are Navigating Streaming Algorithms, AI and Automation

KQED's Forum

When music streaming services like Spotify or Apple Music recommend a song or an album, it can be a make-or-break moment for lesser-known artists. But it still doesn’t pay the bills: musicians earn on average less than half of a cent per stream unless they’re among a platform’s top artists. Streaming fraud and copycat tracks can also cut into their pay — types of theft that could be made even easier with generative artificial intelligence. We’ll talk about how automation and technology are changing how we consume music, how that music sounds and what artists are paid.

Guests:

Nastia Voynovskaya, associate editor, KQED Arts & Culture

Zack Nestel-Patt, bassist and composer; organizer, Union of Musicians and Allied Workers

Marc Hogan, senior staff writer, Pitchfork

LaRussell, artist; founder, Good Compenny - an organization that promotes rising Bay Area artists