Our digitized world hasn’t just changed how we listen to music.
I’m such a sucker for the Grammy’s every year. I love to learn about what is outside my bubble.
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Was an interesting read 
It seems our collective attention span continues to shrink. No patience for exposition, development, variations and resolution? Eliminate them entirely! 
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While I admit I only read the first sentence of your post (my attention was diverted to something else), and do hope to read the second sentence another time, I disagree.
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My younger son aged 20 is big into rap and hip hop and knows all the lyrics. I wish I had his attention span.
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Bottom line folks, streaming is killing artists who will eventually give up their profession because of it. What if your salary at work decreased every year? Would you simply accept this? I will only support musicians. Not a streaming service who steals money consistently from musicians and advocates what you can and cannot listen to based on what is popular steaming at the time.
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The Grammys (and our Junos) used to be a must-see for decades, but watchability for me has gone from slightly difficult to downright painful each year. Although formulated 2 - 3 chord schlock (with lyrics that sound more like verbatim conversations between 9 year olds) and rap have taken over (I get it, every generation wants and likes their own style of music) I’d still watch and be delighted by the few newcomers that could actually formulate some poetry and had developed real skills on some instrument - and I’d think perhaps talent is coming back!!. But each year it leans more towards visual stunts, shock, image and angry talking into a mic. There’s the odd gem there but not enough to suffer thru the main crep. I did not watch this year; perhaps the final straw for me was the onslaught of artists hissy fits, name calling, boycotts, snub pouts, category whines… but I guess this is what happens when the majority of these artists grew up in the participation trophy era. I suggest from now on - EVERYONE gets a trophy.
I do miss the days when the nominees for best (insert any category) were 5 names that I actually knew and I was rooting for at least 4 of them! The Swift Beibers and rappers out there are multi-bazillionaires and many folk who can play a 22 minute concerto without sheet music and write/play complex melodies in 13/8 time are still working a 2nd job and struggling to find a gig. 
Well, there’s my morning downright 
y attitude… 
!!
Off to listen to some European prog rock!
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No they won’t. Most didn’t go in to it for the money. Music is about performing and they will continue to perform. Most musicians were already on very low earnings. Many managers and promotors used to theive from artists, so nothing’s changed.
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What do you suggest is the alternative and how to only support musicians?
Record companies may be evil, as may be streaming service providers, but getting access to music without them would be very difficult. It’s also not a one-way road. I, for one, have bought a number of digital albums from artists of whom I have never heard of and would never had as much as glimpsed at in a record store through Bandcamp recommendations and suggestions.
Maybe Bandcamp is not a streaming service in the way you meant, not sure what exactly we are talking about here when we are talking about streaming services. I am also not sure what exactly we are talking about when we are talking about stealing from musicians. I am not on Spotify and the likes.
The cool thing is that you can do both. Well, if you can afford both you can do both.
You can stream to discover new music (and have a constant source of audio playing when you want) – and you can also go to shows (hopefully soon), and also buy records and CD’s to more directly support the artists.
It’s all good.
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i may not like much of what i hear on BBC Radio 1, but (as i have said elsewhere) my experience of young people today (they give me hope, unlike most of us oldies) leads me to believe that music will be safe
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Music will always survive, no matter what.
I have no idea however how musicians will be paid.
My hope is something will shake loose but, with rare exception, I expect musicians will continue to struggle as they always have. 
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I’d like to think that “live streaming” (for a price, with ads, selling SWAG or some combination of all three) will play a part in finding a way for artists to monetize* their talents.
One of my sons recently became associated with (us old timers would say, went to work for) this startup organization:
[*From their website: “Mandolin has a suite of monetization options, including ticket sales, merch, VIP upgrades, donations, and fundraising for causes. Mandolin’s audience analytics gives you insights into your streams, fans, and acquisition channels.”]
The field is very competitive and time will tell whether there is a business model and enough demand for this to be a successful business sector, PP (Post Pandemic).
FYI.
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A bit curious on what kind of data they collect of the fans and what sort of analytics they pull of it. This is, to some extent, unavoidable in the “modern world” (what a cliche!) but traditional media in physical format allows a fair bit of anonymity and - what would be the correct word - non-commoditisation of one’s personal and behavioural data.
I am foreseeing a not-so-delightful future where personal data is sold on commodity markets like memory chips or iron ore. The more you can collect the more you have to sell.
I don’t have any particular insight into such matters, but I assume data mining is a component of the set up just like with most other on-line destinations.
Also from the Mandolin web pages:
FWIW.
I use streaming (Qobuz in my case) to find the real gems and then always buy physical media (CD, LP) if available at a reasonable cost. When physical media gets too expensive (already happening in some cases) I guess I’ll download hi-res files and hope this leads to more $$$ for the artist. Using streaming as an exclusive source of music doesn’t work for me; too many cases where albums are no longer available.
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I’ve always felt much of the best music written has been in times of strife, struggle, pain and hardship. Layla being just one prime example. I can recall several powerful debut albums from artists who were struggling, broke, fighting to succeed, had passion about their beliefs and music, and then after that album made them rich and comfortable, the subsequent material was far less edgy. Simply Red’s debut comes to mind - a political, passionate, edgy, angry, from the heart powerful debut and the follow ups were kind of fluffier ‘Life is good… Things are great…La La La’ (IMO).
(Mind you a debut album often has lifetime of songwriting rolled into it and then the record company demands an immediate follow up.) I lost a close friend many years ago, that night I sat at my keys and stuff came out of my fingers that wasn’t even me. I’d never played that way, that style before and haven’t since. Unexplainable but adheres to my theory. There’s just not a lot of great songs written about sipping expensive champagne at your glossy grand piano in your mansion.
Tis truly a strange enough business that surely disillusions the best of musicians. Luckily for us, they keep writing!
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Livestreaming Phil Lesh and hoping that Billy Strings joins in tonight from the Mission Ballroom here in Denver. Caught Billy Strings a couple nights ago. Lots of fun.