Streaming May Rule, But Live Performance Pays

Published on 01 October 2025

If, like me, you have neither a Spotify account, nor an Apple Music subscription, it could be because you’re also a stubborn gen-Xer who has paid for a ton of music on both physical and digital formats.

What’s the point of paying a subscription to listen to music you already own, just to access new music for peanuts – after all, there’s radio? Then again, if you are a gen-Xer, you may also own a stack of films on DVD that are rarely watched, while the likes of Netflix and Prime get your money and attention instead. Hypocrites, aren’t we?

In the global shift towards streaming, ownership has given way to access. For most listeners and viewers, it no longer makes sense to buy physical media when a handful of subscriptions provide instant and endless choice. Unfortunately for artists, this change has undermined revenue streams, placing the lion's share of income in the hands of a few global conglomerates.

Certainly, our teenagers consume music and film with scant thought for how the creators are being paid. Surely Apple and Netflix take care of that?

The fact is, more people than ever before can and do access the tools to make music or film, but a smaller proportion than ever before can make a living from it. That paradox defines the modern arts landscape. To further compound the situation, AI-generated ‘content’ is also beginning to crowd platforms, competing directly with human-made art.

So how do we pay for art in a way that honours the humans who make it? Increasingly, the most obvious and direct way is the oldest one: performance. Paying to watch a musician or band share their creativity in real time, in front of a live audience, remains the clearest act of financial and cultural support.

In that moment, music reclaims its human value. No algorithm or AI-generated playlist can replicate the shared energy of a crowded room, the vulnerability of a solo, or the joy of dancing shoulder to shoulder with strangers.

Live music provides artists with income, but just as importantly, it affirms the social contract between performer and audience: “your art matters, and I am willing to show up for it”. So buy the ticket, step into the room and let the exchange of creativity happen face to face.