Streaming is killing Aussie music: ex-Spotify executive
Moderated by Tomas Kauer 
A former Spotify executive has exposed how streaming music algorithms from industry giants are killing Australian music.
Will Page, who used to be Spotify's chief economist, revealed in a new report for The Australia Institute that the number of local artists featured on the world's biggest streaming services, including Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon, has fallen by 20 per cent between 2021 and 2024.
"The algorithms of streaming services might recognise language, but they ignore geography, which means local music is not typically recommended to Australian audiences," Page said.
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"If Australians are to enjoy a vibrant domestic music culture greater investment in new, local artists is needed."
The number of times an Australian band was streamed in Australia dropped by 30 per cent, showing that ensembles are struggling even more.
And while the Australian recording industry is making much more money since 2021, far less of that is going to the artists.
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Revenue from Australian music increased by 25 per cent, but the artists' share shrunk by 30 per cent.
Association of Artists Managers executive director Maggie Collins said the revenue increase showed there was a lot to be confident about in Australian music.
"This proves that it's not a quality problem and makes the domestic streaming decline even more striking," she said.
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"The numbers in this report reveal a clear market distortion, yet despite this disadvantage, Australian artists have proven yet again that when a door is closed, they will find a way in through the window.
"This approach, however, is expensive, resource-heavy, and for some Australian artists, is simply out of reach."
Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull also contributed a foreword to the report.
He said Australia's "cultural voice risks being drowned out" when "the algorithm replaces the DJ".
"Just as we invest in technology, energy, and defence, we must invest in culture – because identity is the foundation of confidence," he said.
"The streaming age does not have to erase national character; it can amplify it, and it should."
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