We are surrounded by controversy, every day, everywhere. The movies we watch, the clothes we wear, and especially the music we listen to are all subject to somebody else’s opinion. Even listening to music is now a “political” statement. Some of the biggest online groups have banned certain streaming services from being used, with Spotify being the most singled out.
Clean and Sober Stoner is small enough that we don’t generally get caught up in the controversies. Besides, that site is mostly an extension of my personality, experience, and musical tastes. No one really gives a crap!
Monster Riff is a different beast, or at least it will be. We’re not here to tell you what music to listen to, what music is bad, or make any disparaging comments towards other forms of heavy music and heavy metal. If I have my way, we will be significantly expanding our coverage of Black Metal, Progressive Metal, and Nu Metal if we can. Stoner/Doom is the original Heavy Metal, and in order to be part of the larger Heavy Metal community we need to cover the community as thoroughly as we can.
Spotify has not demonstrated, in anyway whatsoever, that they truly care about the artists that feed them their insatiable appetite.
Why We Use Tidal Links
In that spirit, we don’t have any interest in telling you how to listen to your music, either. One of the most frustrating aspects of music coverage is what link to use in our articles. Bandcamp is a given. Most of the money goes directly to the artist, and even though they are under new leadership, so far they remain committed to the entire music community. However, not everyone can afford $5-$10 a shot to buy and download their favorite music.
Spotify is the undisputed king of the streaming universe. Nothing that Monster Riff is going to do is going to change that. In terms of sheer reach, social engagement, and brand recognition it’s now the equivalent of Kleenex.
At the same time, we do take issue with a lot of Spotify’s business practices. We will probably always side with the bands, the artists, and the musicians who create the wonderful art that we listen to. Spotify has not demonstrated, in anyway whatsoever, that they truly care about the artists that feed them their insatiable appetite.
Tidal is also a very big business interest that offers streaming services. Again, we think they could do more to support the artists that feed them their livelihood. But, t by all accounts they are better than other services. True, the bar is pretty low, but at least they’re making a token effort.
Tidal also does something that no one else does. If you click on a link from Tidal, that link will give you a choice about which streaming service you use. Take this song for example: the spectacular Nista song, The Light. You’ll notice that it gives you the option to listen on Tidal, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music or Amazon Music. It’s the same thing with the whole album, which you can find when you click on the album, like this: Nista.
We think that’s a huge step in the right direction. We have no interest in telling you what to listen to, or how to listen to it. All we want to do is present you with as much music as possible that we think you’re gonna like, and give it to you in a format that you can listen to.
Going forward, in addition to the Bandcamp links we use for you to directly support the bands, we will also use Tidal links, which will be in the article. I’ll also be going back and inserting the Tidal links for our most recent content.
Thank-you so much for being a part of Monster Riff! This is the first of a handful of “letters from the editor” I’ll be publishing through the end of the year. Let us know what you think: Does this make a difference to you, as a reader? Do you think this is more supportive of the bands that we all love? Do you give a shit…?
Until then, I’m back on the hunt for the next Monster Riff!
PS: I almost forgot. We are not affiliated with Spotify or Tidal in anyway. We are not sponsored, we get no money, and have no incentive to write about them at all. This is an editorial decision, not a commercial!