Longtime German pop star Heino and Swedish businessman Daniel Ek, head of music streaming giant Spotify, live in two completely different worlds. Exactly these are now colliding after Ek recently caused a sensation, especially among artists with an interview.
"I really feel like the ones who aren't doing well with streaming are the people who want to release music the way it used to be," Ek told Music Ally. It's just not enough to release new music every three or four years "and think that's enough".
"You can tell that this Mr. Ek is purely a businessman and not an artist," replies Heino, who is now also considered a cult artist among younger audiences, partly thanks to his cover versions of modern rock and pop songs, at "Image". In his career he has sold "more than 55 million solo albums and will not be accused of being or being lazy". He has never taken long breaks.
No new music on Spotify?
Heino considers Ek's statements to be disrespectful and presumptuous, it is said. He doesn't know how the Spotify boss will be at the age of 81, "but I plan to release albums for a long time and work on different musical projects at the same time".
Now people in the Heino camp are considering not releasing music that comes out of protest on streaming providers."I really don't want to sell my high-quality albums at Mr. Ek's and only get a few cents for them," explains Heino. He prefers to keep releasing CDs like he's "always done".
