CNN

June 25th, 2015

Video: Spotify board member Sean Parker talks Taylor Swift and Apple clash with Poppy Harlow

In an interview with CNN’s Poppy Harlow, Napster co-founder and Spotify board member Sean Parker talks about the recent Taylor Swift and Apple ‘clash.’

“Taylor is a bit of an anomaly in the music industry in the sense that she is still able to sell a lot of downloads. She’s still able to sell – in some parts of the country – CDs. She has a huge fan base, and she sort of defies gravity in the sense that very few artists have that kind of built-in fan base and will continue to buy their albums.”

When Harlow asked about Swift being on Spotify, Parker states:

“The interesting thing in looking at the numbers, there was no evidence in looking at the data, of a change in consumption or usage, when Taylor left the platform.  So even if you take out one, major, contemporary artist, it really doesn’t affect the overall usage.”

Harlow and Parker also discuss the future of music and subscription services.

“This is an industry that is going through an incredibly agonizing and long transition. It’s pretty clear at this point, that the subscription model has won and we see that now with Apple music.”

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