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There’s been plenty of debate about streaming services so far this year, but The Dream took a different approach to the subject in a recent Billboard interview. After critiquing the balance of power between songwriters and record companies, the singer/songerwriter/producer noted that he didn’t have the freedom to do what Taylor Swift and a few other artists have done to fight back—pull their music from Spotify.
His argument had to do both with the socioeconomics of listeners and the dynamics of the music industry. “If I took my records off of Spotify, it would affect the people who listen to my music for free and may not have the means otherwise,” the Dream said. “Taylor Swift fans probably have the means to go and buy a Taylor Swift record.” “If you got a hit and you’re white, there are no limits to what you can do,” he continued. “If you’re black and you have a hit today but can’t do it again tomorrow, then your ass is out of here… We can’t say no to radio, we can’t say no to Spotify, and we can’t have a concert because nobody will come. And the whole time, everybody is taking from our culture to enhance the pop side of things...There are urban artists and then there are pop artists, and urban artists get things taken from them. We create the swag, and everybody knows it.”
The Dream released a new EP, Crown, earlier this year, and he’s releasing another one, Jewel, in July. FADER TV recently visited the hit-maker in his studio; watch that below.
