Swedish modern metallers AMARANTHE spoke to France's Duke TV about how they have been affected by the fact that music streaming has cannibalized record sales and left them at historic lows.
"We have been very fortunate in the streaming department, let's say," guitarist Olof Mörck said. "We released our first album 10 years ago, and it's been streaming non-stop for 10 years. So even if we didn't get any huge revenue after the first year, let's say, then when you add all the different albums together — six albums in nine years — makes a pretty big collection of songs that are constantly streaming.
"The thing about it [is] we make the most of our money from streaming, actually, and not from touring, because we like to reinvest that touring money into building better, more grander shows," he explained. "[We have] a little bit of a younger audience, and I think it's easier for our audience to take to streaming, actually, compared to a band like METALLICA, for example. Even if they are huge on streaming, the revenue that they are getting from Spotify is nothing compared to what they used to get in the '90s, obviously."
Added singer Elize Ryd: "Artists were super scared when people started to download their music for free, and the artists didn't earn anything. And then they developed the streaming services where people could pay, and that's how we make money now."
AMARANTHE's songs have reportedly been streamed close to a billion times on Spotify.
For years, Spotify has been criticized for offering paltry payouts to musicians and songwriters, with some claiming that the service gives major-label artists an unfair advantage via playlist placement and other promotional avenues.
According to Digital Music News, Spotify pays most artists between $.003 and $.005 (one-third of a penny to one-half of a penny) for each stream. However, the precise per-stream rate can vary based upon a user's region and account type (premium or ad-supported).
AMARANTHE's new album "Manifest", will be released on October 2 via Nuclear Blast.
