Two artists who are part of that transition are Marc Ribot, an esteemed jazz guitarist, and Rosanne Cash, whose work has won two Grammys and received twelve nominations. Both are midlevel, mid-career musicians who are a vital part of the New York City music scene. Both have worked with major labels. The long tail is supposed to benefit artists like Ribot and Cash, and Spotify’s payment system is a good example of why it hasn’t, so far. You can spend all your Spotify time in the tail, listening to Ribot and Cash, but 90 percent of your subscription fee is still going to the megastars in the
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