‘Knee Deep’ In The Music Industry, Shaquille O’Neal Showcases Horrid $25 Returns For 365 Days Worth Of Streaming

Shaquille O’Neal is multi-faceted when it comes to his talents, with one of them being music. In fact, the Big Diesel is one of the most gifted musicians in the world. Having been part of the industry for close to three decades, Shaq knows the ins and outs of the business. He has made millions and sold out festivals as both a rapper and a DJ.

With all this experience, he decided to educate viewers by sharing some interesting information on Instagram. In the form of a video created by entrepreneur J.R. McKee, Shaq enlightened his fans about the downsides of streaming an artist’s music. He shared, how an artist would need a fan to stream their music for almost 365 days straight to get even the measliest returns. A travesty, especially given how difficult it is to release music in the first place. Fortunately, the creator of the video offers a better way for artists to earn money through music.

Shaquille O’Neal shares video revealing the downsides artists face from streaming music

The music industry is a brutal business and can eat any artist alive if not navigated through properly. As such, one particular influencer/entrepreneur has decided to help up-and-coming artists out. Sharing a video on Instagram, the CEO of MPR Global, J.R. McKee, talked about the adverse effects of streaming music. In particular, how in a year, an artist often earns just $25 from streaming.

Elaborating further, he explained that artists would need their fans to stream their music 20 times a day for 365 days just to earn those $25. A measly amount, that showcases just how low rates are in the business of streaming music. However, as McKee revealed later in the video, there are other unique ways to generate income in music.

He suggests that any artist looking to monetize their work should look at a modern approach like Blockchain. Essentially, a way for them to sell their music directly to the fans. A unique approach that Shaquille O’Neal seems to be a bit interested in, as he shared it on his Instagram story.

Shaq puts up story about low streaming returns for artists pic.twitter.com/lybOcIOFR4

— tragicpatek (@tragicpatek) October 8, 2023

 

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It certainly is a great video that exposes just how ruthless the music industry is, especially in the 21st century. Kudos to both Shaq and J.R. McKee for sharing this with the world, and helping artists understand the inner workings of the business.

Shaq has shared content of a similar nature in the past, once backing Snoop Dogg’s statements about streaming

Shaquille O’Neal isn’t the only old-school artist who is bewildered by streaming. Snoop Dogg, one of the greatest rappers in the history of the genre is also not a big fan of the concept. Sharing one of Snoop’s videos on Instagram, Shaq, similar to the previous post, questioned the legitimacy of streaming and streaming platforms.

The video showed Snoop expressing his concerns over streaming, and how he is unable to understand how it works. In particular, how someone can have a billion streams, but not even make a million dollars.

 

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Clearly, the streaming business, despite being in the industry for ages is still a foreign concept to many artists. There is not enough information about how to properly utilize such platforms for mutual benefit. Instead, it would seem that only the streaming companies are profiting off the music, and for Shaq and Snoop to call them out on that is admirable.