According to Consequence, Twisted Sister’s lead singer Dee Snider has expressed his thoughts about Spotify’s CEO Daniel Ek. Snider had some choice words for the executive of the streaming platform, saying that Ek “should be taken out and shot” for what Snider deems to be unfair compensation for artists.
Spotify has gone under fire in recent years for multiple reasons, including the platform’s profit sharing breakdown and decision to host controversial content such as Joe Rogan’s podcast. Snider’s thoughts are more from the former grievance, with the singer criticizing Ek in a new interview with the YouTube podcast The Jeremy White Show.
“That guy from Spotify, I wanna tell you, he should be taken out and shot. When he heard that artists were complaining about how little we get paid, his response was ‘make more music,’ like we’re producing cans of Coke. Just increase the production. It is insulting and belittling.” said Snider.
Although Snider‘s words were severe, his general statement follows the sentiment of many artists who feel like they are being ignored by Spotify. Snider also claimed that Spotify pays him next to nothing and unlike music licensing, Twisted Sister’s hit “We’re Not Gonna Take It” continues to bring in the big money.
“For me, it’s licensing. The licensing is the last godsend, the last oasis where you can actually make some money. Steven Spielberg chooses ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ for the finale of Ready Player One. Thank you, God, ’cause I’m not getting anything from Spotify.” said Snider.
Snider’s initial thoughts was referring to a 2020 interview where Ek stated: “You can’t record music once every three to four years and think that’s going to be enough.” Ek’s remarks received instant backlash from artists, including Dream Theater’s drummer Mike Portnoy, who called Ek “a greedy little bitch” on social media.
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