Spotify is a vGreat for listeners, frustrating for independent artistsery strong platform from…
Spotify is a very strong platform from a listener’s perspective: it is convenient, easy to use, offers a huge music library, and has become one of the main places where people discover and listen to music. From the perspective of an independent artist, however, my experience is much more disappointing. Spotify gives the impression of reach and visibility, but in practice very little of that turns into real support or sustainable growth. Streams generate extremely low income, older achievements quickly lose visibility, follower numbers feel unstable, and without additional marketing money almost nothing happens. The problem is not Spotify alone, but the whole system around it. Artists create the music, invest time, money and energy, while platforms, distributors, labels and marketing services benefit far more from the structure. For independent musicians, this can easily become frustrating: you keep working, hoping and investing, but the system rarely gives much back. For listeners, Spotify is excellent. For independent artists, it can be deeply discouraging, unfair and exhausting.