Stephen Downes

What would we have gotten had music publishers owned the radio stations back in the day? Probably something a lot like Spotify. This article explores how the publishers outsized influence over the company has pushed income for artists lower and lower to the point where some are getting a small payment for an anonymous track, all rights belonging to the publisher. There's a warning here for the content industry writ large. (Harper's allows you one free view, here's a Wayback version just in case). More.