MayKay: Spotify is 'killing the creative process'

A hot topic at the MIX Wrap night, the issues surrounding Spotify's poor royalty rates and the service in general were discussed at length.
"My big problem with Spotify is that it's killing the creative process," argued MayKay of Fight Like Apes. "Making an album isn't just about the music; it's getting the sleeve done, the inlay card, all that sort of stuff, which gets lost online. It's all about single tracks rather than a cohesive body of work and that's discouraging a huge amount of expression from people."

Former Power Of Dreams man Craig Walker (now signed to Alan McGee's label) admitted: "From the 40,000 or so Spotify plays I've had, I'd say I got paid naught euro, three cent."

Shane Dunne, the man behind Indiependence and tour manager for The Coronas, noted: "The Coronas do quite well out of radio royalties, but have made maybe fifty quid from Spotify."

Also on the agenda was how to get noticed in the industry, making money (or trying to!), running a festival and general advice for artists. Chaired by our own Stuart Clark, you can read the entire chat in the Hot Press Yearbook 2014, on sale now.