Ben Gibbard Says All Streaming Services, Including Apple Music, Are ‘The Same’

Ben Gibbard, the frontman of Death Cab for Cutie, was critical of Jay Z's new streaming service, Tidal, when it first came out; now, it sounds like Gibbard is an equal opportunity critic.

Talking to NME today (June 10), the indie rock heavyweight said it seemed like all streaming services, the new Apple Music included, exist to make profits on the backs of smaller artists. "They’re all the same," Gibbard said. "Their platforms differ, but in essence I don’t see much of a difference between any of them at this point."

Instead, Gibbard said, the streaming platforms have been more focused on getting on a good footing with artists who are already making millions. "I don’t know any kind of small struggling acts that have been approached by Spotify or Apple or Tidal about how they could make their platform better for artists who are not billionaires, who are not millionaires."

Because, Gibbard says, streaming services are more focused on building monopolies than creating opportunities for smaller musicians, their promises of someday paying smaller artists a fairer cut won't come true. "[Streaming services are saying] when people start using our service, that’s when artists will see real money, but that’s just not how it’s going to happen."