Music News

Beck Slams Spotify, Reveals Reason Behind Break From Music

Beck new album
Photo by Peter Hapak

Beck his preparing to release Morning Phase, his first album in six years, in early 2014. Since the announcement, people have been wondering why the eccentric singer/songwriter has taken so long in between albums. In an interview with the Argentinian newspaper Pagina12 (translated by Future Heart), Beck revealed the reasons behind his years of silence: a severe spinal injury and a growing dissatisfaction with the music industry.

“The music business is changing a lot, and the way people listen is also changing,” Beck said. “So I thought a lot about what it means to make music, whether people pay attention.” Beck’s issue is with album hype cycles and how the industry builds up albums that are then forgotten about after their release: he cites David Bowie’s The Next Day as an example. “A major artist releases an album, and the next day no one is talking about it,” Beck said.

Beck’s problems with the music industry also include, predictably, a problem with streaming services like Spotify. Beck called Spotify “inevitable,” but questioned whether the business model behind it could work for artists. “What Spotify pays me isn’t enough to pay the musicians working with me or the people working on the disks,” he said.

Beck also revealed that he had been sidelined with an unspecified injury to his spine. “I had severe damage to my spine, but it’s improving so I’m back in the music,” he said. “Do not think I can move around as before, although I can give a lot onstage.”

Morning Phase is due out in Feburary 2014.

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