Net Neutrality: How a Repeal Could Kill the Careers of Indie Musicians
On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission is set to vote on whether or not to repeal Net Neutrality, a decision about Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that could impact – among so many other pillars of our country's modern democracy – the future of music. And independent musicians, those who run a mainly DIY operation, are poised to be hurt the most.
On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission is set to vote on whether or not to repeal Net Neutrality, a decision about Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that could impact – among so many other pillars of our country's modern democracy – the future of music. And independent musicians, those who run a mainly DIY operation, are poised to be hurt the most.
Net Neutrality is designed to keep the Internet a free marketplace. Currently, to get online, users pay one fee to a provider, like Comcast or AT&T, but nothing beyond that is regulated. Unlike cable television, where any extra access comes at a price. Repeal Net Neutrality, and Internet providers are free to create tiered plans where access to music services, like Bandcamp or YouTube, and social media networks require an extra fee. In rural areas, where quick, quality Internet is already far less prevalent than it should be, the gap between lower incomes and democratized access to the Web will only grow. In other words, fast broadband will cost big bucks.
Cale Tyson, a Nashville-based independent artist, explains the danger of this repeal as it relates to musicians. "If music consumers were forced to pay an extra charge just for using streaming sites such as Spotify and Pandora," he says, "then there would obviously be less people using those platforms. Therefore, we wouldn't be getting as many plays and thus making less money. If that's the case, it would make discovering new artists much more difficult too. The Internet is our main platform of spreading our art through the world, and when you hinder Internet usage, you make it harder for us to do that."
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