Spotify forsakes indie artists by shutting down its popular upload beta program

3 min read

Earlier this week, Spotify announced that they are closing their upload beta program at the end of this month, less than a year after it was launched. This means that individual musicians will not be able to upload their songs on the streaming service directly. Spotify has notified artists that they will have to move their already released content to another distributor and will only be paid for streams on their uploaded content till July 2019.

Launched in September 2018, the upload beta program enabled independent artists to upload their music to the Spotify streaming service by adding tracks and its accompanying metadata with just a few clicks.

Many users, especially artists, are upset with Spotify’s decision.

There are many speculations doing the rounds, on what might have led Spotify to take this decision of not supporting independent artists anymore, something for which Spotify has always been famous for.

Spotify pleasing its distribution partners

Spotify says that based on artist’s feedback, “The most impactful way we can improve the experience of delivering music to Spotify for as many artists and labels as possible, is to lean into the great work our distribution partners are already doing to serve the artist community.”

Even after uploading music to Spotify, artists still had to turn to other distribution tools for uploading their music on other streaming services. In a statement to TechCrunch, Spotify states that, “There were a few hundred artists who had actually uploaded music to the beta, and a few hundred more that had been invited to the test but hadn’t yet uploaded. And all those who had used the Direct Upload Beta did have to use another distribution service to get their music on other platforms.”

Another reason for this move could be that Spotify now wants to support its “preferred” distribution partners – Distrokid (Spotify has small investment in this company), Cdbaby and Emubands. As Distrokid supports cross-platform uploads, it would have caused an overlap and redundancy with Spotify’s own upload beta program. This could be Spotify’s way of avoiding a conflicting scenario.

Spotify bowing down to giant music labels

For decades, music labels like Universal, Sony and Warner had controlled the way for artists to gain universal stardom in the music industry, which obviously came at a cost. Spotify’s way of doing business has always garnered hostile reactions from many.

Spotify offered two main advantages to independent artists: a bigger financial cut and ownership of their recordings. Spotify’s deals used to provide artists the freedom to license their songs to other streaming companies, like Apple Music and Amazon. It also gave artists the freedom to choose when their new tracks should “go live” on Spotify.

According to the New York Times, music labels have signaled their disapproval of Spotify’s initiative through many ways, in the past. Thus shutting down the upload beta programme could also be Spotify’s way of pleasing music label giants.

A user shared an insightful opinion on Hacker News.

“These companies are not against independent artists. The big rights holders are.

-what happens when an artist who is signed with Warner Music starts uploading their music directly?

– what happens when the Big Three start viewing Spotify (or Google, or anyone, really) as their competitor in music distribution?

Somehow almost literally no one focuses on how Warner, Sony, and Universal have a death grip on both artists and distribution companies. But everyone is willing to vilify Spotify.”

For more details, head over to Spotify’s blog.