The “biggest names in music streaming” are against ‘exclusives’

Image: Kanye West at the Tidal-exclusive launch of The Life Of Pablo

Late last month, the UK’s Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) spoke out in support of Universal’s move to ban streaming exclusives for its artists.

“We have long believed that a level playing field is the key to healthy competition in the entertainment market,” said ERA CEO Kim Bayley, at the time.

Now, Bayley has said her sentiments are echoed by the streaming sector.

Speaking at the ERA’s AGM in London yesterday, Bayley said:

“What has been striking has been to sit around the table with some of the biggest names in music streaming and to see the maturity and long-term approach to the market they have adopted,” she said.

“While they all acknowledge the short-term temptation to sign exclusive releases, they are unanimous in agreeing that long-term a policy of exclusives could damage the credibility of the whole sector and ultimately drive music fans to pirate platforms,” she added.

Perhaps Bayley was referencing Frank Ocean’s decision to release second LP Blonde exclusively on Apple Music. Soon after its release, the record popped up on multiple sites as an illegal download. According to Digital Music News, theARIA #1 has been illegally downloaded over 1 million times.

“Given that anti-piracy initiatives with the likes of CCUK (Creative Content UK), the Industry Trust and (UK industry body) BPI remain a longstanding priority of ERA, it would be ironic if exclusives driven by digital services were to be seen to increase piracy,” said Bayley.

As reported in TMN late last month, Spotify is actively punishing artists for signing exclusives with other services. Whilst the streaming giant has denied the accusation, a claim by an artist, a detailed report of evidence byMBW, and an alleged conversation between Spotify and two major label executives suggests otherwise.

Then of course there was the comment made by Spotify’s new global head of creator services, Troy Carter. “Exclusives are bad for artists, bad for consumers, and bad for the whole industry,” he told Billboard last month.