deadmau5

Spotify CEO’s Controversial Comment About The ‘Close To Zero’ Cost Of Making Music Has Deadmau5 Threatening To Pull His Catalog

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In case you missed it: In late May, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek shared a statement in which he described the “cost of creating content” as being “close to zero.” His comments were more likely about the barrier to entry being lower than it has before than it was about devaluing or underestimating the resources is takes to create music. Still, what he said rubbed people the wrong way.

That includes Deadmau5, who caught wind of the quote a few days ago and wrote on Instagram, “Incorrect. The cost of creating content was 25+ years of my life and much of those proceeds going to your company you complete f*cking idiot.” In response to a comment about hating Spotify, he responded (as NME notes), “I feel that, I’m about to pull my catalog from these f*cking vultures, enough’s enough.”

In the comments, Dutch DJ Leroy Styles went long outlining some of the costs involved with making music:

“This is crazy. It’s almost zero or a couple of zeros!!

Here’s a breakdown of some of the costs.

High-Performance Laptop for Music Production
For a high-performance laptop suitable for music production, consider models such as:

Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M1 Max, 64GB RAM, 2TB SSD): Around $3,499
Dell XPS 17 (32GB RAM, 2TB SSD): Around $3,000
Razer Blade 15 Studio Edition (32GB RAM, 1TB SSD): Around $3,999
Total Estimated Cost
Adding up these costs, assuming no sales or discounts:

VST Plugins:

Omnisphere: $499
Komplete 14 Ultimate: $1,599
Waves Mercury: $7,599
UAD Ultimate: $4,999
EastWest ComposerCloud X: $239.88/year
FabFilter Total Bundle: $899
iZotope Everything Bundle: $1,999
Soundtoys 5 Bundle: $499
Arturia V Collection: $599
Slate Digital All Access Pass: $179.88/year
Total for Plugins: $18,910.76 + $419.76/year

And then your time making music. Recording Studio Time:

Professional studios can charge from $50 to $500+ per hour.
Producer Fees:

Producers might charge per track or hour, ranging from $300 to $10,000+ depending on their reputation and experience.
Session Musicians:

Rates can range from $50 to $500+ per hour or per song.
Mixing and Mastering:

Mixing engineers typically charge $200 to $1,000+ per track.
Mastering can cost between $50 to $500+ per track.
Equipment and Software:

Purchasing or renting instruments, microphones, and recording software can range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars.
Promotion and Distribution:

Digital distribution services (like DistroKid, TuneCore) can charge $20 to $50+ per year.
Marketing campaigns, including social media ads, can range from $100 to $10,000+.
Miscellaneous Costs:

Travel, lodging, and other incidental expenses can add up.
Overall, the total cost to produce a single song can range from a few hundred to tens of thousands of dollars, while a full album can cost significantly more. My 1st album has cost me 18k euro.

And don’t forget your time!!”

Ek responded to the original wave of backlash in early June, writing, “I understand how it came across as very reductive and that wasn’t my intent. Just to clarify – my original point was not to devalue the time, effort, or resources involved in creating meaningful works, whether it’s music, literature, or other forms of creative expression. […] The significant drop in the cost of creation tools (microphones, laptops, cameras) has led to an unprecedented explosion in the volume of what people are able to produce.”

Deadmau5 Music Video For ‘When The Summer Dies’ Was Created In ‘Core’

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Not too long ago, deadmau5 announced that he would be partnering with the community around the video game Core to create his next music video. This was a really unique and cool opportunity for fans and deadmau5 to do something unique. It was also yet another example of someone in the music space embracing video games.

On Thursday, the music video that deadmau5 and the Core community created was released. It’s a pretty neat video considering how it was made and the efforts that went into it. The music video does a cool job of not only showing what Core is capable of but representing the community aspect that this video is about. We get to see deadmau5 taken across many different landscapes and scenarios and since all of this was made inside the game it feels like the community of Core is showing deadmau5 around so they can see everything they’ve made for him.

“I’ve been experimenting with the confluence of music and tech for a long time, and now with games, I’m able to take it to a whole other level,” said deadmau5. “Typically it takes months and hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of dollars to make a music video. In this case, we were able to pull together a video with stunning 3D worlds in just a couple of months by crowdsourcing the creation to the Core community and deadmau5 fans. The quality of the interactive experiences and the speed with which they were made was unbelievable and demonstrates why more artists are seeking out unique opportunities inside of games to extend new experiences to their audiences.”

It’s incredible that deadmau5 gave everyone from Core an opportunity to contribute to his music video like this. The results of it were even better than expected and maybe this will spark other people in music to do the same. We’ve already seen artists embrace games like Fortnite to host virtual concerts. Maybe now we’ll see a trend of gaming music videos. The potential for creativity has no limit in video games like Core.

deadmau5 And ‘Core’ Are Teaming Up To Create A Music Video

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One of the best trends in video games today is the rise of creation tools. From Super Mario Maker to Dreams, gamers are gaining access to more tools that let them make their own fun, the result of which are some really creative ideas from players.

This creativity and ability to make anything we want in games is starting to get noticed outside the gaming industry. deadmau5, one of the most well-known electronic music producers out there, sees the potential in giving players the ability to create and is offering players of the game Core an opportunity to put their creativity to the test. Players using Core can try to use the tools inside the game to create a deadmau5 music video for his new single, “Lights.”

“I’ve been blown away by the creativity I’ve seen on Core,” deadmau5 said. “Some of my passions are game, experience, and world design, and Core’s capabilities as a platform and its creators who are capable of doing all kinds of cool stuff are the next level in user generated art and experiences. I’m looking forward to checking out what fans and artists will create for my new single with ‘Lights.’”

This is a big win for Manticore Games, the developer of Core. Not only is this an opportunity to advertise their game, but it gives them the chance to really show what the community around Core is capable of as the kind of game that’s all about showing what players can do when they’re handed the reins.

“We’re thrilled that deadmau5 shares our passion for putting the power of artistic expression in as many creators’ hands as possible,” said Jordan Maynard, the chief creative officer and co-founder Manticore Games. “Core is more than just a place to play and make games; it has endless potential for new forms of social interactivity and artistry. We can’t wait to see the worlds our creators bring alive for the new video, and we look forward to working together with deadmau5 on future projects.”