Overcoming the Mood Machine: A Look at Music Streaming

Are your favorite music artists getting ripped off?

The way people listen to music is constantly changing. Radio and records gave way to 8-tracks and cassettes, then CDs and digital downloads. Music streaming is now the most common way for people to listen to their favorite songs. Popular services like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music offer listeners access to their respective vast catalogs, which include nearly all recorded music.

These convenient services offer unlimited music for around $10 a month, which may seem like a pretty good deal. However, not everything is as good as it sounds. In Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist, author Liz Pelly takes a comprehensive look at the world’s most popular music streaming service, from its beginnings as an alternative to music piracy to its current domination of the music world, and the questionable practices it used along the way.

One of Pelly’s critiques of the streaming giant is how it compensates artists. In recent years, artists have fought to try and get just one penny per stream since they currently only receive $0.003 to $0.005 per stream on average. For reference, the company made about $1.17 billion in 2024, and CEO Daniel Ek is now worth $8.1 billion. Pelly points out that streaming is not solely to blame for these unfair compensation practices and that before the streaming era, plenty of sketchy contracts kept musicians from getting their fair share. Buying an album, shirt, or other merch goes a whole lot longer in supporting the artists you love compared to a streaming subscription.

Mood Machine also explores how the algorithms used in streaming reward certain kinds of chill, laid-back music and has led to more homogeneity and less creativity among artists as they are forced to make music that will perform well for the algorithm if they wish to be successful. Pelly argues that algorithms are also disadvantageous for listeners who are now less likely to discover new music and instead hear the same songs repeatedly recommended to them.

Liz also dives into how listeners’ data is sold to third parties who can then use that info however they like, which could include ads based upon a user’s listening habits! Spotify throws an annual party to show how much it knows about its users. The Spotify Wrapped campaign encourages subscribers to share data about their most listened to artists, songs, and playlists from the last year on social media.

Mid-Continent Public Library is excited to be hosting a conversation with Mood Machine author Liz Pelly and Michelle Bacon from 90.9 The Bridge to discuss Liz’s new book at the Auditorium at Woodneath on Tuesday, May 13 at 6:00 p.m. Attendees will receive a free copy of the book while supplies last, and there will be a book signing following the event. Our author events fill up quickly, so register today!

Brad Smith
Digital Innovation Department