2017: NERVOUS TIME FOR THE BIZ

This is the year of reckoning for the streaming music business, John Paul Titlow asserts in what is both an overview and a commentary of the state of the industry posted on Fast Company. The problem with streaming, he argues, is that it’s not a great business. The situation is exemplified by the fact that companies like Spotify and Pandora are raking in billions and are still losing money—primarily because the cost of licensing the music itself is so incredibly high. According to Titlow, we’ll find out this year whether or not streaming is a viable business—and there’s no bigger question facing the biz, obviously. Reading the piece is not a bad way to spend five minutes of your day off.