WHY YOU SHOULD BUY MUSIC DIRECTLY FROM ARTISTS

As of 11th March 2022 we at Rock Lifestyle UK will no longer be paying for streaming platforms to access music from any artists.

We have made this move because we believe everyone should buy music directly from artists that they regularly listen to on streaming platforms. Streaming platforms such as Spotify & Apple Music do not pay artists enough and compared to what artists could & should receive for the amount of hard work they put in, it is not enough.

So instead, we at Rock Lifestyle UK will be cancelling our subscriptions on music streaming platforms and using the money that we use to pay for these services to buy albums from artists we regularly listen to. Whether that be a CD, Cassette or Vinyl. (Yes Cassettes are making a comeback!).

We will not remove any links to artists streaming platforms in any of our articles, instead we will recommend that people purchase albums directly from the artists themselves whilst providing any links that will help support them.

We also understand that many artists are not able to release physical copies of music and rely on these platforms to get exposure, and we completely get it. However, with sites such as Spotify you can still stream tracks for free (just with some adverts) and many artists upload singles to YouTube, this is something we highly recommend artists do if they are not already as YouTube is an excellent platform to gain exposure.

In terms of exposure, streaming platforms such as Spotify make it extremely difficult for users to discover smaller artists. We are aware they have playlists of which they promote some smaller artists, however, the artists they usually promote are already receiving streams. Sites such as YouTube rely on the algorithm and keywords which can make it more likely for someone to stumble across a smaller artist.

We are not saying stop paying for your subscriptions & streaming music, but if you are able to please buy albums directly from artists as it helps support them much much more. We are simply withdrawing our support from these sites based on the way they pay artists and not having a better way to increase exposure as we know that our money that we use to pay for these sites could be helping support these artists directly rather than in small amounts.

If you're also worried about where you would store these copies, you don't necessarily need storage. A lot of bands nowadays are selling downloads of their albums for the same price as a CD, so all you need is a device where you can download the files, you can then start to build your own playlist without a monthly cost because you'd have already paid for the music you've received.

It's not all about paying for their music directly, also supporting them by purchasing merchandise is a brilliant way of showing your support. Need a new t-shirt? Why not grab a t-shirt from their website? Need to keep warm? Grab a hoodie from the bands website. Again, we know not everyone is able to do this but if you are able to, please support the artists you love the best way you can.

We would love to know your thoughts about streaming platforms and whether you think that more people should do what we are doing. Let us know in the comments below.