Jimmy Buffett to Spotify: Give recording artists a raise

Singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett put the chief executive of music streaming service Spotify on the spot, demanding more money for musicians. “Do you see [recording artists] getting a raise directly from you, as opposed to the bull— you have to deal with in going through the labels?” he said during a question and answer session at the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit, a San Francisco technology conference.

Daniel Ek begged off, saying that Spotify, for the most part, contracts with recording labels and songwriting publishers, who in turn negotiate terms with the artists. The panel moderator, Irving Azoff, owner of Azoff MSG entertainment, told Buffett, a multimillionaire, to “sell one of [his] planes.” Buffett noted he was defending “young, struggling artists.” Ek said Spotify is now paying more than $1 billion annually to labels and publishers, or 70% of its revenue. He agreed it's tough dealing with the labels and songwriting publishers. Spotify was founded in 2008, and “it took three and a half years to get the first licensing done,” he said.