Björk Says Spotify Is “The Worst Thing” to Ever Happen to Musicians

Björk isn’t mincing her words today. The famed Icelandic musician and artist recently had a few choice words to say about the music streaming service Spotify in an interview with the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter.

Björk sat down for the interview to promote the shortened version of her newest concert film, Apple Music Live: Björk. During the interview, Björk discussed how fortunate she is to not have to rely on touring money in order to keep her career going. Rather, she can take things slow and focus on putting together excellent works of art, rather than having to rush “20 more albums” out due to the specific nature of streaming.

“I’m lucky because I no longer have to raise money on touring, which younger musicians are often forced to do,” Björk said in the interview. “In that respect, Spotify is probably the worst thing that has happened to musicians. The streaming culture has changed an entire society and an entire generation of artists.”

Björk Calls Out Spotify and Streaming Culture for Negatively Impacted This Generation’s Musicians

It’s hard not to agree with her. And Björk is the kind of person that walks the walk in addition to talking the talk. When her 2015 album Vulnicura was released, she opted to keep the record off of Spotify for a while. She felt that “this streaming thing just does not feel right.”

Björk went on to say that it didn’t feel right to work on a record for several years and then put it on Spotify, more or less for free.

“It’s not about the money, it’s about respect…” Björk continued. “Or the craft and the amount of work you put into it.”

Björk eventually relented and made most of her music available on the platform. However, plenty of musicians share her sentiment, considering all of the scrutiny the company has gotten lately. Last year, Billboard revealed that Spotify’s newest royalty model would cut $150 million in royalties for songwriters during its first year. Many songwriters, in response, have opted to boycott Spotify’s Grammy party this year.

Outside of discussing the pitfalls of Spotify, Björk also talked a bit about her songwriting and recording process.

“For the seed to grow into a healthy and vigorous plant, you need privacy,” said Björk on her specific approach to writing and recording music. “You need a few years of no one knowing what you are doing, not even yourself.”

Apple Music Live: Björk is currently available on Apple TV.

Photo by Santiago Felipe/Getty Images

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