Spotify CEO proposes “clap” for struggling musicians

Multi-billionaire Daniel Ek, co-founder and CEO of Spotify, is promoting the idea of a public “clap” for musicians and other creatives, similar to that of the “Clap for Carers” for NHS workers earlier this year. The campaign has been launched in response to criticism from, amongst others, Mercury Prize-nominated singer-songwriter Nadine Shah, who said that she makes so little money from streaming that she is struggling to pay her rent.

Ek, who, as a schoolchild, earned $1000s selling websites whilst paying his workers in video games, said: “Here at Spotify we value our artists, so on top of the generous $0.003 we pay per stream, I am proposing an event which will tell the world how much they are appreciated, with an international Clap for Musicians. Hopefully, it will encourage them to not to sit around like bums all day watching daytime TV and instead produce better content for my site.”

Ivan Frampton, a spokesperson for the Musician’s Union, said “Music is everywhere, and artist’s recordings are the culmination of tens of thousands of hours of hard work and practice. Those who make the commitment to be a working professional in this industry often work tirelessly, sacrificing relationships, giving everything. A clap won’t pay the bills.”