LeBron James is a Bad Music Consumer. Don’t Be Like LeBron James
“I’m not paying for it.”
— LeBron James on streaming music
The streaming age of music is here, and those who hate it for whatever reason can rage against the dying of the light all they want, but it’s not going to change anything. The vast majority of music consumers now stream their music as their main listening platform, and those numbers are only going to increase until virtually every single music consumer has bought in, including your mom who still has to call you to figure out how to open her email because she refuses to text.
Don’t be torqued off by it, whether you’re a music maker or a consumer. Embrace it. The reason streaming has taken hold is because it is convenient, allows you to take music anywhere, and has made the vast library of recorded music available right at your fingertips. What a gift and privilege it is to be a music consumer in the modern age.
Streaming has also has opened up a few dilemmas just like any paradigm shift does. Having such vast access to so much stuff and the fact that basically anyone now can release music has made the marketplace significantly more crowded and sometimes a bit harder to find what might appeal to you. But this is a marginal trade off for all the freedom music streaming affords.
The other problem with the streaming model is the extremely marginal payouts the music creators receive from streaming companies compared to physical products or downloads, especially songwriters. With less money to go around, it makes it difficult for your favorite artists to continue their endeavors. That’s why even in the age of streaming, you should still be willing to buy physical product from your favorite band, like vinyl copies of new records for those times you’re at home and want the high fidelity audio experience. Buy a T-shirt or a koozie to supplant the music cost and to help promote your fandom, and go see your favorite bands perform on a Thursday night when they roll through your town.
The other thing you can do to help support your favorite artists—and something the entire streaming model is dependent on—is PAY FOR YOUR STREAMING SERVICE.
Pony up you cheapskate. It’s a mere pittance to sign up for a premium account through Spotify, Pandora, or whomever, and you get a commercial-free experience, sometimes with better audio quality, and the creators and industry that served you that music will get a little more money compared to the commercial-supported side. That helps sustain your favorite bands, artists, and labels through this brave new streaming era. For the price of a single CD, you can have nearly every single song ever recorded right at your fingertips. Now that’s a bargain.
In a recent ESPN interview with NBA superstars Dwayne Wade and LeBron James, LeBron admitted that he listens to Pandora, but is too cheap to pay for the premium platform. So as the Cleveland Cavaliers are taking shoot around at practice, they have to listen to interjected commercials in between songs.
ESPN interviewer Rachel Nichols brought up the fact that Dwayne Wade named LeBron “The cheapest guy in the NBA” in a previous interview. LeBron’s response was, “That is so, so, so, so false…ly true. I’ve still got Pandora with commercials. So I’ll be listening to some great music at home and then a commercial [will go], ‘Hey! You wanna win three tickets, then come to … meet LeBron, Wade and Kevin Love right now!'”
Rachel Nichols reminded LeBron, “You know you’re rich right?”
According to Forbes, LeBron James is worth $400 million.
“I’m not paying for it,” LeBron responded, unwilling to budge.
There are plenty of rich people who remain frugal despite their wealth, whether out of habit, from their upbringing, or an idealism that you should never waste money. That can be smart, and in some ways even endearing in certain circumstances. As many wealthy people will tell you, it’s not just your ability to earn that makes you rich, it’s your ability to save.
But we’re not talking about never buying your milk at a convenience store because of the incredible markup, or going to Costco to buy in bulk. The biggest problem with LeBron’s stance is that it sets a bad precedent from a big celebrity name and a taste maker. If LeBron James endorses a product, it can result in millions of dollars in new economic activity. If he dogs a product, it can be vice versa. By acting like music is something not worth paying for, it not only dissuades people who may be considering signing up for Pandora or Spotify on a premium level, it also promotes the idea that music shouldn’t need to be paid for at all—that it has no intrinsic value that should be supported with subscription dollars from the general public.
After years of the music industry trying to come to grips with how to handle streaming, they’re finally starting to get their feet beneath them and adapt to the new model, while also trying to find new revenue streams through merch sales and live experiences. It’s strange that someone will throw down $185 for Row 30 tickets to a Luke Bryan concert in a massive arena, but balk at $9.99 for a music streaming subscription service. But that’s just the way it is.
Do you love music? If you’re reading this, you probably do. Then don’t be like LeBron James. It’s hard enough out there to make music and get someone to listen. So support your favorite artists with that little extra commitment. Pay for your streaming, find other ways to give money to your favorite artists that cuts out third party platforms altogether, and be proactive in making sure the music will always be there by supporting the creators who make you happy.
READ: The Best Way To Buy Music and Support You Favorite Artists
Kross
October 17, 2017 @ 6:39 pm
I don’t want to be anything like Labron, streaming music or otherwise.
james
October 17, 2017 @ 7:19 pm
thats gold
Jon
October 17, 2017 @ 8:18 pm
Cool story, bro. I’m sure you’ve already accomplished that goal in a variety of ways.
James
October 17, 2017 @ 8:44 pm
LeBron is one of the last people I would ever want to be anything like
Jon
October 17, 2017 @ 8:54 pm
And why is that?
Barstool Hero
October 18, 2017 @ 5:16 am
Clearly you stumbled onto the wrong website.
Jack Williams
October 18, 2017 @ 6:13 am
@Barstool Hero
And why do you think that?
CountryCharm
October 18, 2017 @ 7:05 am
hahaha Barstool Hero. Hero indeed.
Jon
October 18, 2017 @ 11:10 am
You don’t have to share the stereotypical political and social opinions of today’s country music listener to seek out good country and Americana music, so I’m fairly confident that I’m in the right place, Hero boy.
Nate
October 19, 2017 @ 9:27 am
Brilliant.
SteveG
October 18, 2017 @ 7:34 am
I, too, would hate to be a man regarded by many as the best in my trade in the world. Oh, and also being a millionaire many times over would suck.
james
October 18, 2017 @ 6:18 pm
but as a person, he’s worse than horse shit
Jon
October 18, 2017 @ 7:55 pm
Based upon what
CountryKnight
May 16, 2021 @ 1:48 pm
Based on his hypocrisy on social justice.
See his reply to Hong Kong
hoptowntiger94
October 17, 2017 @ 6:43 pm
I get your main point that Lebron could really move the meter by endorsements, but maybe he’s just not into music. I’m 41 and I have never paid for cable (I didn’t own a TV until I turned 33). Also, I never pay for parking (almost never).
Trigger
October 17, 2017 @ 7:03 pm
If he’s not into music, then he wouldn’t be talking about listening to Pandora at practice and at his home, and hearing commercials. The main point is not about endorsements. LeBron is pushing this idea that music has no value and doesn’t need to be paid for. I think this is a very dangerous mindset that many music consumers have. As someone that people listen to, LeBron should be mindful of supporting music by paying for it. I’m frankly stupefied why this is such a polarizing subject, especially on a music website.
hoptowntiger94
October 17, 2017 @ 8:02 pm
I guess that’s a Pandora issue, not Lebron’s. Like I said, I don’t have cable, but I pirate shows like Game of Thrones because I can. If those shows weren’t available through piracy, I wouldn’t watch them. If Pandora didn’t offer a free model (which generates revenue through commercials) would Lebron listen to any music at all? I think streaming services for the most part cater to a demographic who wouldn’t be spending their money on music anyways.
Trigger
October 17, 2017 @ 8:14 pm
Pandora and Spotify offer free, commercial-supported tiers, and for some individuals that is just fine. However when you have a net worth of $400 million and 39 million Twitter followers, perhaps you should choose to set a good example and purchase a subscription since this ensures more money goes to the creators of the music. If LeBron had used this moment to tell his 39 million followers to sign up for Spotify or Pandora, that could mean millions of more dollars into the system that would trickle down to artists and songwriters. Instead, he insisted he wouldn’t pay for it, and then eventually Pandora gave him a free, commercial-free subscription. Pandora is headed towards bankruptcy, by the way. LeBron James isn’t.
Honky
October 18, 2017 @ 9:19 am
39 million people care what a basketball player says? Wow, I really had no idea.
Pool
October 18, 2017 @ 7:47 pm
First time I’ve agreed with you in a while
CountryKnight
August 15, 2022 @ 8:44 am
Yup.
Hong Kong LeBron wouldn’t play basketball for free.
Typical hypocrite.
HayesCarll23
October 17, 2017 @ 6:54 pm
I buy every album in Vinyl and CD. I also pay for Apple Music.
I’m cool.
Josh
October 17, 2017 @ 7:39 pm
And richer than I…
Jack Young
October 17, 2017 @ 6:54 pm
Lebron also has a turntable and records, this is a reach.
Corncaster
October 17, 2017 @ 6:58 pm
infinite competition + miniscule payout = death of the music market, eventually
then pile on lossy media, overcompressed audio, crap speakers for playback …
what we have is not a golden age but a supernova of overexposed spew
pick and choose, reboot the patronage system (kickstarter, pledgemusic, patreon, etc), demand superior quality, and go out and see live music
before it disappears
Micah
October 24, 2017 @ 11:38 am
Corncaster.
I would like to invite you to beta test a music app I am creating. Instead of paying for a subscription you donate directly to the artists. Its tier based, the more you donate the better the benefits. You can even get rewards with your donations like an exclusive T-shirt, Signed Vinyl record, a phone call etc..
1 million streams on Spotify is worth 5k
1 million views on youtube less then 1k
500,000 donations on Nova is worth 87k
You can join as a listener to be one of the first to beta test the app before public launch
https://novastreaming.com
Collin Strickland
October 17, 2017 @ 7:16 pm
I just use DVD Video Software to download YouTube videos as mp3s.You can find more stuff than what’s on the streaming sites usually. In all honesty music is meant to be shared freely, think about the origins of Country music and Bluegrass. The first stars covered many of the old folk music that was sang all over the mountains. Folk music didn’t have copy rights and the folks that made it didn’t care, their goal was to play music they loved for other people that loved it too. David Allen Coe takes this stance in “Waylon, Willie, and Me” When he says, “We’ve been making music that is free”. Yes, support artists when you can, but you shouldn’t have to pay through the nose to do it. Bluegrass has survived in this fashion for years, so if the music is actually good then it will go on.
Digs
October 17, 2017 @ 7:46 pm
I don’t know man, i get your point to a degree, but music is how some people make a a living and pay bills, not to mention the resources that go into making an album, touring, etc.
It will never sit right with me to just take people’s music without their consent like this.
Trigger
October 17, 2017 @ 8:20 pm
When David Allan Coe said, “We’ve been making music that is free,” he wasn’t referring to the price, he was referring to shaking free of the restirctions of Nashville with the heavy handed prodction of Chet Atkins, or in Coe’s case Billy Sherrill. Go to a David Allan Coe show and ask the merch guy for some free CD’s. I bet I know what his answer will be.
$9.99 a month for access to millions upon millions of songs is not what I would characterize as “paying through the nose.” I completely agree that sharing music and free music is an important part of the marketplace and can be a great discovery mechanism. I just think it’s a bad precedent when someone with $400 million says he’s unwilling to pay $10 a month so that musicians can eat and keep creating.
Collin Strickland
October 19, 2017 @ 3:55 pm
I figgured he meant litterally free since DAC, along with the other Outlaws, is usually pretty litteral. Also, because he goes into talking about playing at bars directly after that which I doubt payed very well. I wouldn’t expect free merchandise since it cost someone money to make it. I do believe that money should never be the primary goal for an artist, because a greedy artist lacks love and true creativity for the music (Look at all the mainstream artists, it’s their problem). I think that all the original Outlaw artists had that in mind, otherwise they wouldn’t have been outlaws, right? Honestly I don’t see how anyone can stand sitting through 5 minuets of adds at the end of ever song.. If I’m going to pay for music it’s only going to be for the stuff I like, streaming services force you to pay for everything including the stuff you hate. In Lebron’s case why doesn’t he buy actual CDs and skip third party streamers? He could really fund artists then.
Pool
October 18, 2017 @ 7:50 pm
Is that really what you think Coe meant by that?
Gabe
October 17, 2017 @ 7:17 pm
I don’t stream music, I buy them…
james
October 21, 2017 @ 1:35 pm
its ” i buy it” , not them
Gabe
October 21, 2017 @ 4:40 pm
You realize that you can’t edit your comment onceits posted right?
Jim L.
October 17, 2017 @ 7:21 pm
I refuse to pay to watch millionaires throw a ball through a hoop.
Jon
October 17, 2017 @ 8:15 pm
You watch them throw a pigskin through the air, swing a wood plank at a cowhide, pretend to be someone else on film, or something else comparably silly, I’d bet.
Jim L.
October 17, 2017 @ 8:26 pm
I will watch professional sports. But not pay for it. Especially now.
Jim L.
October 17, 2017 @ 8:39 pm
I do pay for streaming music services though, own thousands of CD’s and vinyl records, and pay to see live music almost every week. Also constantly promoting new bands or songs to friends. Just get more enjoyment from music than sports.
Jon
October 17, 2017 @ 8:53 pm
Hey, that’s a fair position to have. Nothing wrong with getting more enjoyment from music than sports. As I get older, I find myself gravitating to music more than I used to and having it occupying some of the place that sports used to.
Just gotta keep in mind that some others would refuse to pay to watch millionaires (not so often in this space, but definitely in pop music) lip synch or play a piano, so it goes both ways.
Chris
October 18, 2017 @ 9:11 am
I also own thousands of CD’s and like music much more than sports.
I like sports (some of them at least), but i love the arts.
And i go to as many concerts as i can, which is fairly easy to do where i live.
I seldom go to the “big box” big label concerts, mostly indie country musicians.
I go to quite a bit of sports, but, if i had to choose between the arts and sports, it would be no choice at all.
I view it as my job to support the artists.
Bo Fiddley
October 18, 2017 @ 11:38 am
Do you pay for cable?
Jim L.
October 18, 2017 @ 4:58 pm
Not cable, just the low-end streaming package on PS Vue. I do understand sports is a big reason traditional cable bills are so high. I should have clarified that I almost never pay to *attend* live professional sports in person. (Much rather attend a high-school or college game.) Maybe I’d go if the parking and beer prices weren’t so high. Got a daughter to put thru private college now!
Digs
October 17, 2017 @ 7:42 pm
Dissapointing that pandora re-enforces this attitude by gifting Lebron a subscription.
Trigger
October 17, 2017 @ 8:22 pm
VERY disappointing. I thought this was a big, teachable moment for MILLIONS of people on these free subscriptions who could in turn help bring a new level of support for musicians to get paid through the streaming model. The person being vilified right now on social media is me for broaching this subject.
Poochie
October 19, 2017 @ 12:47 pm
They also gifted tons of people who replied to their twitter thread with free premium accounts…
GrantH
October 17, 2017 @ 7:49 pm
I think how we listen to music (whether we stream it, buy it on iTunes, or track down a physical copy of it on CD, or, for older releases, vinyl or cassette) is indicative of how much we care about that artist. I’m a collector of 80’s hard rock/metal and 80’s/90’s country, and I have a pretty large amount of albums from that era on some sort of physical format. I collect this stuff because I’m truly passionate about it and owning the physical album represents something to me. On the other hand, I also occasionally listen to modern rap, hip/hop, and R&B through streaming on my phone (I have Spotify Premium). I like some of the artists. But am I dedicated enough to their craft to actually pony up the $9.99 to download it off iTunes or buy the CD? Heck no. I listen to that stuff when I’m not trying to pay too much attention to lyrics or musicianship. That’s the purpose it serves. So, while LeBron is obviously wealthy enough to pay for hundreds of streaming accounts, I kind of understand where he’s coming from, because there’s plenty of music that I listen to that I would never directly pay for.
Jon
October 17, 2017 @ 8:47 pm
I pay for Spotify premium because I don’t want to have commercials and I like being able to download playlists to play offline. I listen to a song or two by a lot of artists, and some other genres that aren’t covered on this site. Spotify is great for that. But I try to go see shows or buy an album here and there for bands I listen to a lot, and for my favorite bands I do both pretty frequently. Like, when American Aquarium comes into town, I go to the show and buy a record I don’t have or a t-shirt or something. I have a lot of Isbell albums, some on both CD and vinyl, and have driven 3-10 hours to see him a few times along with catching his shows here in town. I don’t see a problem with streaming, but I think it’s important to pay for something from bands you really like, and I think your first sentence nails it.
Jim L.
October 17, 2017 @ 9:07 pm
This brings back memories of me as a kid waiting by the radio all day trying to record my favorite songs on cassette tape. Probably because I had spent all my allowance on candy and comic books.
BigCity
October 17, 2017 @ 9:33 pm
He is (was) paying for it. I pay $9.99/mo so that i don’t have to listen to commercials. He listens to commercials so that he doesn’t have to pay $9.99/mo. I pay money, he pays time, but we are both paying for music. Don’t vilify someone because they have different priorities than you. Not cool.
Trigger
October 17, 2017 @ 9:54 pm
All major streaming service verify that commercial-supported tiers return less revenue to the music licensees than the subscription tiers do. Yes, the commercial revenue does offer a level of support, but it is not nearly the level of the subscriber side. What the difference is depends on the service, and how much a consumer might stream music. But even Spotify and Pandora will tell you that the commercial-supported tier is unsustainable. It is meant to be an entry point to encourage people to use the service and eventually pay for it.
For example, when Taylor Swift pulled all of her music off of Spotify, she left it on Google Play. Why? Because Google Play had no free tier. When Taylor Swift wrote her big open letter to Apple when they were getting ready to launch their streaming service, it was about her protesting that they initially were going to offer a free tier. Her letter and other public pressure resulted in them scraping the idea.
The entire economic viability of the streaming model—for the services, and for creators, labels, songwriters, etc.—depends on being able to covert the public to the subscription tier. That is why what LeBron said was so dangerous. If people continue to insist on using the commercial-supported tiers, Spotify and Padora will never turn in profitability, and paying creators will continue to be a lingering problem.
And trust me, at some point the public will start to complain about the commercials, download apps that eliminate them, etc. if they don’t think music has any intrinsic value. This isn’t just bagging on a celebrity athlete. The success of the streaming model is an existential threat to the industry, mainstream and independent. Music must be presented as something that has value.
Bear
October 18, 2017 @ 12:14 am
Tricky that one because most people under a certain age feel entitled to music since they just grew having YouTube or Pandora give them what they want. So they have no real experience around music have real value or I argue real quality. They most take the drivel shoveled to them.
I mean I am confounded as to why with YouTube and Spotify etc. young people have the narrowest breadth when it comes to listening to different artists and genres. My peers and I listened to all kind of stuff in the 80s and 90s you just sort of did. Nut now it seems if it is outside your little clique not only must you not listen to it but must also hate it.
BigCity
October 18, 2017 @ 6:56 am
I see your point, but disagree with most of it. Commercial tier alone is unsustainable, but no major stream service depends solely on commercial tier alone. They know that a large number of their customers will subscribe and pay for the service, but the commercial tier does generate revenue and that is the debate.
You vilify LeBron as if he were downloading it on LimeWire or Napster. He takes advantage of a fully legal way to stream music. That wouldn’t work for me, it wouldn’t work for you but it works for him.
Also, are-read Taylor Swifts letter to Apple. She didn’t have any issues with a free tier (because there wasn’t one), she had issues with the fact that Apple was offering a free three month trial and not paying any royalties during that period. She rightfully was upset because of this and pulled her album 1989.
Trigger
October 18, 2017 @ 8:39 am
Yeah I agree LeBron is not doing anything illegal or even out of the ordinary. I just think it sets a bad precedent when someone who is a super rich celebrity seems to think it is okay to not pay for music. That was the same concern Taylor Swift had with the “3 months free.” The concern was people would get used to free music, and as soon as they were asked to pay for it, they would just hop to yet another free-based format.
Taff Martin
October 17, 2017 @ 11:06 pm
I think Spotify is incredible, I would never have discovered half the artists I have without it. I cannot afford to spend £10 a CD 3-4 times a week but £10 a month for everything is just rediculous
I personally think that Pandora Spotify etc should now stop free streaming, as millions are already hooked and will just pay up when the free service goes.
Sure not every track is on there but at last count 25-30 millions tracks is pretty good to me.
The other issue is that bands have to gig more to make money off of tickets and merchandise sales, but they are not so tied to the industry that they can’t make the record they want to.
Poochie
October 19, 2017 @ 12:48 pm
And what, leave commercial-supported “free” streaming to youtube? Because that’s exactly what youtube is…
OlaR
October 18, 2017 @ 4:03 am
I pay for the songs/albums i like. Amazon or Google Play.
The price for downloads is 0.99€ – 1.29€ here (single download).
Next album or single downloads will be:
Jaryd Lane – American Country Southern Rock ‘n’ Roll
Tenille Arts – Rebel Child
Tyminski – Southern Gothic
Ned LeDoux – Sagebrush
Runaway Angel – Zero
Simon James – Ordinary Man
Mike Ryan – Blink You’ll Miss It
Lorrie Morgan & Pam Tillis – Come See Me & Come Lonely
Sarah Leete – Sarah Leete
Jess Moskaluke – Past The Past
Rick Hart – Let Me In
Tyran (no name or release date so far) & other aussie country stuff
Older albums (90’s) like Noah Gordon (I Need A Break) & Bryan Austin (Bryan Austin) will be downloadable soon.
A couple of Charly McClain & Janie Frick(i)e albums are already available (for the first time) here.
RD
October 18, 2017 @ 4:51 am
Historically, artists had patrons who supported them while they created their art. It seems to me that this could be revived, to some degree. To some degree, I guess it already is with Kickstarter, Patreon, etc.
Mark
October 18, 2017 @ 5:47 am
The issue with this is that those fronting the cash make demands about the content of the art. Histroically, this was the church or the state. And so for the most part you end up with vapid propaganda. Though copyright and the music industry privatized what was once a public resource (especially with the country genres), it opened up a space for artists to create free from undue influence.
Corporate patronage is beginning. So far it’s pretty banal–isurance companies asking for certain brand related colours to appear in music videos. But I’d like to avoid influence worse than the major labels if we can.
RD
October 18, 2017 @ 5:55 am
“And so for the most part you end up with vapid propaganda.”
Vapid, like the Michelangelo and Shakespeare? Or vapid like, Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn?
Mark
October 18, 2017 @ 6:06 am
Vapid like all the guys you’ve never heard of hundreds of years later.
RD
October 18, 2017 @ 6:07 am
Great answer.
CountryKnight
October 18, 2017 @ 9:17 am
And there are hundreds of singers doing it on their own now that no one will hear about hundreds of years later.
Corncaster
October 18, 2017 @ 8:16 am
If you visit these patronage mechanisms, you’ll see that the kind of influence you describe is completely absent.
CountryKnight
October 18, 2017 @ 9:17 am
So?
The patron is paying for the art. They have the right to influence it.
Corncaster
October 18, 2017 @ 11:05 am
Sure, but should they? Great artists should be free. You pay for a garden, but do you really want to get in there and mess with the plant DNA? I say identify the good ones and let ’em grow.
-Ed.
October 18, 2017 @ 5:24 am
I’ve been buying music since the 1960s. Looking at how I’ve spent my entertainment dollars across the decades, I have spent far, far more money on music than I have on books, magazines, sports, cable TV or anything else. My music has been purchased as vinyl singles, vinyl EPs, vinyl albums, cassette singles, cassette albums, eight track tapes, digital CDs, and online downloads. I’ve never had a Pandora or Spotify or Google Play or other streaming account. Enough already.
If it’s not too much to ask, I’d like the entertainment industry to please stop yelling at me from their private jets about my carbon footprint and my entertainment dollar decisions while I drive around in my 12-year-old Chevy.
RD
October 18, 2017 @ 6:42 am
“If it’s not too much to ask, I’d like the entertainment industry to please stop yelling at me from their private jets about my carbon footprint and my entertainment dollar decisions…”
Don’t take it personally. They are just trying to cover for their own degeneracy. They think that virtue signaling and making a feigned show of caring about some bullshit will throw people off the trail of their own raping, abusing, sodomy, lechery, adultery, drug abuse, etc.
CountryKnight
October 18, 2017 @ 9:22 am
They are the type of people who believe in, “Do as I say but I won’t do what I say.”
RD
October 19, 2017 @ 10:24 am
Yes. Ben Affleck can send out a bunch of tweets about feminism, supporting women, believing women who say they they were assaulted, etc., all while he gropes an an intern who is sitting on his face. How he could see the screen on his iPhone, I’ll never know.
Tom
October 18, 2017 @ 8:20 am
But how does compensation from streaming compare to compensation from radio airplay? Because that’s how most people use Pandora, as a substitute for radio rather than a substitute for buying albums or paying for downloads. I get that some streaming services are multi-faceted and you can stream full albums and specific songs, and those should probably be handled differently.
I have Pandora on in the background while I clean house, work on the car, etc., just like I used to have the radio on while I performed those tasks before it became an ocean of bland sameness. I don’t mind the ads; in fact, if they have to go from airing a couple of ads an hour to three three-minute commercial breaks an hour like radio stations in order to fairly compensate the artists, I’m perfectly okay with that.
But it’s not something I’m willing to pay 10 bucks a month for. If Pandora’s free service goes away I’ll start listening to music I already have in my collection which doesn’t compensate anybody or introduce me to new music that I might buy for myself.
Just my two cents.
JF
October 18, 2017 @ 8:25 am
A lot of folks missing Trigger’s point that it doesn’t really matter what you do. Streaming is the future. Kids today have no idea what a CD is. They do not have any device that can store a material amount of music, so buying downloads is not something they would do. All kids do is stream. Vinyl is niche. Very, very soon streaming will be all we have. So, deal with it.
Corncaster
October 18, 2017 @ 11:03 am
No.
The Senator
October 19, 2017 @ 12:54 pm
I concur with Corncaster.
Jack Williams
October 19, 2017 @ 1:20 pm
I’m not dealing with it now either. I still buy CDs regularly, but won’t buy vinyl (as I saw someone on Facebook say, I’ll go back to buying vinyl when I start churning my own butter). I’m afraid I might have to go the steaming route some day if I want to hear new music.
Andrew Perz
October 18, 2017 @ 8:50 am
As someone who is arguably overly concerned with artist’s compensation and rights, I really wanted to rally around this sentiment. But the bottom line is that LeBron has done absolutely nothing wrong and to say he has shows a complete misunderstanding of the nature of the consumer, consumer behavior, and the market.The opening quote of “I’m not paying for it” is incredibly misleading, and this feels like a lazy attack to level against LeBron. Like others have stated, he is not stealing the music. It is easy enough to express your concerns with streaming platforms without arguing that LeBron, by virtue of this social status or wealth, somehow has some sort of obligation to support struggling artists. That certainly is not the case.
Chris
October 18, 2017 @ 9:14 am
FWIW, I wouldn’t go to an NBA game if it was free.
Or to a NFL game for that matter.
Bo Fiddley
October 18, 2017 @ 1:33 pm
I’d absolutely go to an NFL game if it was for free. But that’s just me. NBA? It depends on who’s playing but I’d probably go to 75% of match ups if it were free.
CountryKnight
October 18, 2017 @ 9:20 am
I don’t pay for Spotify or Pandora either. Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free.
Shoot, if you are smart with Spotify, you can skip commercials. Just put the current song on repeat and manually select your next tune.
If I really like an artist, I will buy their CDs but I see no financial reason to pay $9.99 for streaming when I can listen to the same songs for free on Spotify.
Honky
October 18, 2017 @ 9:29 am
I suppose this would bother me more if there was music out there worth paying for.
In a way, I find it humorous that Country Music murderers might get their music ripped off.
Ulysses McCaskill
October 18, 2017 @ 1:39 pm
Just to be clear, you’re saying there’s NOTHING out there worth paying for right now? Not even the real badass country being made by guys like Cody Jinks, Whitey Morgan, Ward Davis, Colter Wall, Tyler Childers, Jason Eady, etc??? C’mon Honky. If you can’t pony up and pay for that stuff then, well, you deserve to see country music die in front of your eyes.
Honky
October 18, 2017 @ 4:06 pm
There’s nothing out there that I’m willing to pay for, except maybe Mo Pitney. None of the folks you’ve named turn me on.
I already saw Country Music die….20 years ago. And I guess that drives my point home doesn’t it.
Ulysses McCaskill
October 18, 2017 @ 7:38 pm
Is it that you don’t think any of the above guys are country? Not sure how you could arrive at that conclusion.
Honky
October 19, 2017 @ 7:33 am
No, it isn’t my opinion that they aren’t Country. Their music is Country. I’m just not impressed by any of them.
Ulysses McCaskill
October 18, 2017 @ 7:39 pm
And then Honky you’re part of the problem Trigger was talking about.
Ulysses McCaskill
October 19, 2017 @ 2:32 pm
To each their own but Mo Pitney sounds an awful lot like the 90’s country that was the transition to bro country.
Benny Lee
October 18, 2017 @ 10:38 am
I agree with the idea that artists should be paid for their work.
I agree that fans should support their favorite artists by paying to see their shows and buying their stuff.
I do not agree that a consumer is to blame when a provider offers a service for free. Most consumers have no idea that artists get paid less for free streaming services. They notice the commercials and assume that’s how the artists are getting paid. Or it never even crosses their minds.
My questions:
If ads/commercials pay for the free service, why are the artists getting the shaft?
And how is it just or even legal to completely shut out songwriters from the financial payout of music streaming?
Tom
October 18, 2017 @ 11:20 am
They are getting compensated, the complaint is that the compensation for streaming from the free version is smaller than the compensation from streaming from the paid version.
But my question would be, how many more streams are they getting from the free version? I’m not hearing raw numbers, just percentages. If they’re being compensated 100 times less for the free version that sounds bad, but what if you’re getting 500 times more plays? I’m not saying that’s the case, just that the full story isn’t really out there.
Trigger
October 18, 2017 @ 11:23 am
“Most consumers have no idea that artists get paid less for free streaming services. They notice the commercials and assume that’s how the artists are getting paid.”
Hence, this article to articulate to people who want to be more responsible music consumers how to go about that and why it is important.
Ulysses McCaskill
October 18, 2017 @ 1:42 pm
Lebron’s got the right to do whatever he wants, but if your really support someone and want to enable them to keep making you feel good with their music, pony up and pay the man!
Honky
October 18, 2017 @ 2:45 pm
You know, this just occurred to me, and maybe it already has to others on here. The kind of people who think music should be free are the same kind of people who care what basketball players say, and who consume corporate music. So without doing it intentionally, corporate music creators are creating music for specifically for the empty-minded masses who don’t want to pay for it.
I’ve always bought music on cd, and will continue to as long as I can. But I already own nearly everything I want to.
Aggc
October 18, 2017 @ 8:33 pm
I can’t imagine alot of people here caring what LeBron James thinks.
Jon
October 18, 2017 @ 9:09 pm
There aren’t a lot of people here in the first place, so this isn’t much of a reach.
Aggc
October 18, 2017 @ 9:36 pm
Well, I’m here. You’re here. How much more validation do you need to express an opinion?
Jon
October 19, 2017 @ 5:29 pm
You can express any opinion you want. Most of them here share a narrow path that shies away from anything resembling change (and I’m not referring to Nashville music, because that shit sucks). However, compared to those who follow LeBron, the number of people here isn’t a speck of dried diarrhea juice on the side of the toilet bowl, so who really cares what we think, either?
Jeni Moore
October 19, 2017 @ 8:18 am
They make millions a year and they don’t want to a tiny price for a yearly subscription to a music app to listen to their music
THAT IS SO STUPID
Fat Freddy's Cat
October 19, 2017 @ 1:44 pm
I hate to seem like the old out-of-touch guy, but don’t you have to have an internet/wifi connection to use streaming services? Most times that would be ok, but I still like having my own copy that I can use whenever I wish regardless of whether I’m getting a good internet connection or not. I still use my iPod classic.
RD
October 19, 2017 @ 2:19 pm
Me too, but I haevn’t been able to sync my ipod since my computer crashed. I’d like to be able to get my songs off my ipod onto my new computer and then use something other than itunes to sort them. Is there a better alternative? I imagine that you can’t sync an ipod using anything other than itunes, so my classic is probably junk.
Fat Freddy's Cat
October 19, 2017 @ 3:32 pm
When I was in a similar situation I used third party software (CopyTrans) to copy my music library off of my iPod and into iTunes on a new PC. It wasn’t completely smooth (some files got duplicated so the library had to be cleaned up) but it worked and I’m syncing to the new PC now.
RD
October 19, 2017 @ 3:48 pm
Thanks.
Not A Chance
October 20, 2017 @ 11:03 am
“Pony up you cheapskate.”
Don’t tell me how to spend my money, I don’t have the luxury of having a high paying blogging “job” and living with my mother to save. You’ve now made me less likely to pay for streaming, not more. In fact, if you feel so strongly about it, why don’t you purchase premium accounts for all your readers?
I’d guess it’s because I should put my money where my mouth is but that shouldn’t be required of you affluent folks.
Jon
October 20, 2017 @ 10:08 pm
Learn a valuable skill so you aren’t living paycheck to paycheck and can quit freeloading. You’re using the welfare version of streaming.
You’d have the luxury of having a blogging “job,” which I bet you have absolutely no idea how much it pays, if you had anything to say that anyone cared about. Quit wasting your time bitching on here and work on being better at life so you can afford $10/month.
GW Parker
October 28, 2017 @ 4:57 am
I offered a similar take on this issue but from a different perspective, recently: Paying the subscription rate has the aforementioned benefits COMBINED with the direct exposure to good music across the spectrum (the “if you like this, then you’ll like ‘that'” method) and young people can see what an abundance of cool music is out there … for next to nothing.
CountryKnight
May 16, 2021 @ 1:53 pm
Maybe LeBron should play for free…
RD
May 16, 2021 @ 7:09 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeVW31UXodI
RD
May 16, 2021 @ 7:13 pm
Watch it all the way through
CountryKnight
November 7, 2021 @ 9:12 am
I wonder how Hong Kong LeBron would like it if suddenly his salary was cut down because the NBA decided to allow free tickets?