Spotify CEO says it’s “not enough” for artists to release albums “every 3-4 years”

"The artists today that are making it realise that it's about creating a continuous engagement with their fans"

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has discussed the way artists release music, saying that it’s “not enough” for artists to release music “every three to four years.”

In a new interview with Music Ally, Ek has made controversial new comments about artists’ public unhappiness with the money they receive from streaming, and how he believes they can create a “continuous engagement with their fans.”

“It’s quite interesting that while the overall pie is growing, and more and more people can partake in that pie, we tend to focus on a very limited set of artists,” Ek said in the interview. “Even today on our marketplace, there’s literally millions and millions of artists. What tends to be reported are the people that are unhappy.”

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Spotify (Picture: Getty)

“In the entire existence [of Spotify] I don’t think I’ve ever seen a single artist [publicly say] ‘I’m happy with all the money I’m getting from streaming'” he added. “In private, they have done that many times, but in public they have no incentive to do it. But unequivocally, from the data, there are more and more artists that are able to live off streaming income in itself.”

“You can’t record music once every three to four years and think that’s going to be enough. The artists today that are making it realise that it’s about creating a continuous engagement with their fans. It is about putting the work in, about the storytelling around the album, and about keeping a continuous dialogue with your fans.”

Spotify recently launched Sound Up – a training programme which aims to boost underrepresented voices in the podcasting world.

Also new on the streaming service are ‘Premium Duo’ subscription deals for couples and an end to the 10,000 song cap on users’ libraries.

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