Spotify CEO Daniel Ek’s Tone-Deaf Take on Music: A Disrespectful Dismissal of Artists
Daniel Ek just disrespected the entire music industry with a single tweet. The Spotify CEO, who already sits at the center of controversy over streaming payouts, claimed that “the cost of creating content is close to zero.” That’s not just wrong—it’s an insult to every musician, producer, and artist who has spent years honing their craft.
Think about what goes into making music: studio time, equipment, production costs, marketing, distribution, legal fees, and years of experience. None of that is free. But Ek, a billionaire profiting off artists making fractions of a cent per stream, wants to act like music is some throwaway content that magically appears. It’s a slap in the face to independent artists grinding to make a living, to producers spending hours perfecting a beat, to musicians who dedicate their entire lives to their art.
And this isn’t just about one bad take—it’s a reflection of how big tech sees music as disposable. Spotify’s payout model already undervalues and underpays the very people keeping the platform alive, and now the man in charge is outright saying music isn’t expensive to make? That’s rich, coming from someone who built an empire off the backs of underpaid artists.
The backlash was instant because this isn’t just ignorance—it’s a dangerous mindset that normalizes exploitation. If music was really free to make, why are so many artists struggling? Why do labels spend millions developing talent? Why does Daniel Ek’s own platform charge for premium access if the content is so easy to produce? The truth is, he knows music has value—he just doesn’t want to pay for it.
At this point, Ek has gone too far. His words show just how out of touch he is with the reality of being a musician today. Spotify needs artists, but artists don’t need Spotify. If this is how the industry’s biggest DSP views the people who make it profitable, then maybe it’s time for musicians to start looking for platforms that actually respect them.
