Patrick Carney Rips Spotify on Spotify-Exclusive Podcast The Joe Rogan Experience
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The post Patrick Carney Rips Spotify on Spotify-Exclusive Podcast The Joe Rogan Experience appeared first on Consequence.
The Black Keys recently decided to pay Joe Rogan a visit, pegged to this Friday’s (May 13th) release of their new album Dropout Boogie. The blues-rock duo were the guests on a three-and-a-half-hour episode of The Joe Rogan Experience this week, where they — mostly drummer Patrick Carney — discussed the origins of their band, their complaints with the music business, and more.
Despite guesting on perhaps the most profitable podcast in the world, Carney had a bone to pick with the corporatization of the music world. He lobbed a lot of criticism particularly towards Warner, who distributes The Black Keys’ longtime label, Nonesuch: “[Warner] asked if we were interested in a bundle, which is when you include your record with a ticket, and give five dollars from each ticket back to Warner Brothers and then you would get a record sale,” Carney said. “We’re being told, ‘It’s only way you’re gonna get a No. 1 record… It’s all based on fear. Like, ‘Do you want to be relevant?'”
Shifting the conversation towards live performances, Carney said he thinks The Black Keys are “one of the few bands with a drum set” who still performs at festivals. He also recalled his band’s 2013 performance at the Grammys, when they were up for Record of the Year for “Lonely Boy”: “Playing music on stage with all this pop stuff that has nothing to do with what we’re about… really is so alienating,” Carney said of the “atrocious” event. “None of my favorite bands have fucking Grammys… We’re just jacking ourselves off and congratulating ourselves. Does anybody watch this shit that really cares about us? I don’t think so.”
Ultimately, the 2013 Record of the Year trophy went to Daft Punk and Pharrell for “Get Lucky,” and Carney is grateful for that: “If we would have won that Grammy, it could have fucked our whole band up. I’ve seen it happen with lots of bands. You become playschool level. We wouldn’t have changed, but the thing is, you start acquiring a fan base that’s more fickle and maybe more annoying.”
Like many, Carney has some notes for Spotify CEO Daniel Ek. However, his complaints don’t appear to include the streamer’s support of Rogan, whose laundry list of controversies includes using racist slurs and spreading COVID-19 misinformation. Instead, Carney draws the line at Spotify’s famously insufficient royalty rates.
“[Spotify] treats almost every stream the same,” he went on, explaining that he thinks the streamer should distinguish between casual listeners and more highbrow music fans. “What they need to do, in my opinion, is say, ‘This guy Joe has good taste in music. He follows 500 bands, which means there’s no possible way that he’s gonna be listening to all 500 of those bands in even a six-month period of time — but when he does choose to listen to a song, it’s worth like 10 times, versus this person who’s listening to ‘Old Town Road’ a thousand times a day. Because Joe is actually engaging with our thing, not just streaming a song for free, like a Pavlov’s [dog], mouth salivating every time he hears ‘Old Town Road.'”
Still, Carney admitted to paying for Spotify himself, adding that he subscribes to many of the major streaming platforms with the exception of Tidal: “I pay for all of [the digital services]. I have YouTube, Apple, whatever. I don’t have Tidal, but that’s because they gave ownership to like 12 artists and they’re like, ‘Fuck you.’ What the fuck is that? Just keep the ownership and pay a higher royalty, you fucking cocksuckers.’ Honestly.”
Elsewhere in the podcast, Carney discussed algorithms, SiriusXM, how a major label left his wife Michelle Branch in the dust, and more. Listen to the episode below.
The Black Keys will tour in support of Dropout Boogie later this year. Tickets are available over at Ticketmaster.
Patrick Carney Rips Spotify on Spotify-Exclusive Podcast The Joe Rogan Experience
Abby Jones
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