Hans Zimmer pitches in on Spotify debate asserting music is work and should not be free
Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer has claimed that musicians deserve a fair wage for entertaining “millions of people” in response to the very public debate over whether Spotify is responsible for the decline of music sales.
Hans Zimmer says music has monetary value
Speaking in defence of Taylor Swift, who ditched Spotify in November after pulling in only $2m in revenue worldwide from the service, Zimmer claimed that music has a value and musicians are entitled to be paid fairly for their work.
Zimmer, who has created soundtracks for over 150 movies, including Inception, the Lion King and Interstellar, told Business Insider: “It’s very easy to say, ‘Oh, those rich musicians. Their music should be free or whatever.'
“It shouldn’t be free. It’s their livelihood. It’s their job. And I’m not talking about the rich musicians. Anybody should have the chance to as their dream say, ‘I want to become a musician and I want to make a living at it.’”
He added: “And why shouldn’t they be afforded a living? It’s a great big world and if there are millions of people listening to your music and enjoying it and getting something out of it then it’s not a hobby, it’s work.”
This comes after Scottish musician Billy Bragg on Tuesday criticised Swift for framing her move from Spotify as a protest against the firm for providing her music for free after she made her library available - for free - on rival YouTube Music Key.
Content created with:
Spotify
Spotify is a music, podcast, and video streaming service that was officially launched on 7 October 2008. It is developed by startup Spotify AB in Stockholm, Sweden....
Find out more