Steven Van Zandt: ‘Streaming Is a Disaster for Artists. A Disaster.’


Legendary musician, rock n’ roll curator, and actor Steven Van Zandt says the rise of streaming has been seriously detrimental to artists.

The rise of streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music Unlimited, and Pandora has worsened the lives of artists, according to one of rock n’ roll’s most celebrated musicians. Steven Van Zandt, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a core member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, was a keynote interviewee at the recently-held Making Vinyl conference in Detroit.

At one point during the interview, Van Zandt traced the ascent of grittier rock n’ roll to the portable 45 record player, which allowed younger fans to listen to music in the privacy of their rooms. Previously, kids had to ask their parents to play records on the living room record player, where artists like Little Richard would never be permitted.

Posted by on

Comments

Post a Comment

Trending This Week

Image

How Nathan Hochman Applied Double Standards to the Menendez Brothers

On June 27, 2025, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office , led by Nathan Hochman , filed a forceful reply brief in the Menendez resentencing matter — a reply that sent ripples through legal and public circles precisely because it explicitly urged the court to weigh honesty, insight, and acceptance of responsibility as determinative factors in sentencing and risk assessment. But that very standard — a standard of accountability and truth — appears to vanish like mist the moment prosecutorial interests turn inward. In a press release bearing Hochman’s official imprimatur, the DA’s office did not mince words: “The Court must consider such lack of full insight and lack of acceptance of responsibility for their murderous actions in deciding whether the Menendez brothers pose an unreasonable risk of danger to the community.” The office continued, affirmatively stating that their motion position was based on “the current state of the record and the Menendez brothers’ current and ...
Image

Big Hit Releases 3rd Album “Free Big Hit” From Prison (Album Review)

Los Angeles, California rapper  Big Hit  dropping his 3rd studio LP from behind bars. The father of  Hit-Boy , he was found guilty & convicted of a hit & run resulting in great bodily injury almost a decade ago & unlawfully being sentenced to 12 years & 4 months in prison including a 5-year GBI enhancement connected to Count 1. His petition for a writ of habeas corpus was later granted & became a free man on his son’s 36th birthday. Hit would have his father join forces by making  Surf or Drown 2  a collab effort tailored for Father’s Day Weekend & put out a debut album of his own  The Truth is in My Eyes  only 6 months later.  Blacks & Whites  produced by Hit-Boy &  The Alchemist  outdid the debut last spring, finding himself incarcerated again 4 months ago & Surf Club Inc. has put together  Free Big Hit . “The Game Just Forced Me” is this summery intro talking about wanting to live his li...
Image

King Leez — Mastering the Underground in the Age of Algorithms (Full Interview)

In an era where music moves at algorithm speed and attention spans are shorter than ever, King Leez stands out by doing what most artists won’t: adapting without compromising his craft. The Tacoma -born lyricist has steadily carved out a reputation for razor-sharp bars, consistency, and an instinctive understanding of how the underground breathes—both online and in real life. Since his last in-person conversation with ThaWilsonBlock , Leez has taken creative control of his visuals, expanded his reach, and sharpened his rollout strategy, culminating in the release of Year Of The 9 . In this exclusive interview, King Leez breaks down his evolution, his approach to production, the blurred lines between Seattle and Tacoma soundscapes, and the mindset that keeps him locked in while the culture shifts around him. Mistah Wilson : Yo, King Leez, what’s tha deal, family!? Thanks for comin’ thru for this exclusive interview with ThaWilsonBlock. You came thru tha Pueblos a few years back fo...
Image

Trump Set to End Program That Let 530K Migrants into U.S.

Ending the program may upend the lives of migrants who settled across the country — from Florida to California — and embedded themselves into U.S. communities. A migrant family from Venezuela walks to a Border Patrol transport vehicle in June 2021 after they and other migrants crossed the U.S.-Mexico border and turned themselves in. (Eric Gay/AP) By Anumita Kaur and Lauren Kaori Gurley Washington Post The Supreme Court on Friday allowed the Trump administration to terminate, for now, a Biden-era program that allowed about 530,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to live and work in the United States while their immigration cases proceed. The Trump administration has maintained that the migrants pose a public safety threat, and in a statement celebrating Friday’s high court decision, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said ending the programs would be “a return to America First.” But immigration advocates say the decision upends the lives o...
Image

Sudan Accuses Ethiopia of Drone Strikes Across Border

By Al Mayadeen English 3 Mar 2026 Sudan's government has accused Ethiopia of allowing drone strikes to be launched from its territory amid growing regional involvement in Sudan's civil war. Sudan's government has accused Ethiopia of enabling drone strikes against its territory, marking the first formal allegation of direct interference by Addis Ababa in the country’s nearly three-year war. In a statement released Monday, Sudan’s foreign ministry said aerial attacks carried out in February and March originated “from inside Ethiopian territory,” describing the incidents as “clear aggression.” The ministry warned Ethiopian authorities of “the consequences of these hostile acts,” though it did not specify who conducted the strikes, how many occurred, or which locations were targeted. Khartoum added that it had been monitoring the incursions over several weeks and characterized them as a “flagrant violation of Sudan’s sovereignty” and “a clear act of aggression against the...
Image

First US Fighter Downed in Past 27 Years: Iran Armed Forces Hit F-15 Near Kuwait Border

First US Fighter Downed in Past 27 Years: Iran Armed Forces Hit F-15 Near Kuwait Border Monday, 02 March 2026 11:30 AM Iran Armed Forces shoot down US F-15 fighter jet near Kuwait border Iranian Armed Forces have shot down an advanced US F-15 fighter jet near the border with Kuwait – the first downing of an American fighter jet in the past 27 years. “An F-15 fighter jet [belonging] to the intruding US army which intended to attack the country has been targeted by the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Air Defense and brought down,” Iran’s Khatam Al-Anbiya Air Defense Base said in a statement on Monday. It added that the jet’s debris has been crashed in Kuwaiti soil. Kuwait’s Defense Ministry on Monday confirmed the jet’s crash with its video footage widely being circulated in global media. An American F-117 fighter jet was downed by former Yugoslavia during the Kosovo war some 27 years ago. The IRGC announces the achievements of the latest waves of its Operation True Promise 4 in reta...
Image

Grieves Brings the Out Cold Tour to the Lodge Room

Grieves – Photo By Loe Kee Phlicks On Sunday, February 23rd, Seattle, Washington’s own Grieves electrified the stage at the Lodge Room in Highland Park. Grieves showcased an intimate, rare performance, delivering songs from their catalog including Irreversible , 88 Keys & Counting , Together/Apart , Winter & the Wolves , Running Wild , and their latest album, Canopy . The Out Cold tour made its final stop here in Los Angeles, giving the crowd a chance to celebrate Grieves’ birthday. The Out Cold Tour was accompanied by The Street Sweepers and SOLO of Horrorshow . The Street Sweepers opened the night, getting the crowd pumped up and singing along. They also delivered a couple of hilarious skits. SOLO of Horrorshow came all the way from Australia and showcased their rapping and singing/harmonizing talents to the crowd. The Street Sweepers – Photo By Loe Kee Phlicks Solo of Horror Show – Photo By Loe Kee Phlicks 1/3 of the Street Sweepers – Photo By Loe Kee Phlic...
Image

Didier Malherbe in 1990's Fetish CD [plus 1979 Bloom, 1981 Melodic Destiny, 1986 Faton Bloom, 1989 Saxo Folies]

  I thought for sure I posted him before, but only in connection with Faton Cahen, here , and Patrice Meyer . Of course he's most known for the work he did with Gong . From the requested album Fetish, released 1990, the last 2 songs feature synth player Rykiel, discogged here .  These are really lovely, consider Hors D'oeuvres: I'm assuming everyone is already familiar with the great Bloom album and Faton Bloom, which is a kind of follow up from 1986 with Cahen.  From that one, the lovely but oddly named Vulvox: From the cassette only release with guitarist Yan Emeric, A Breughel really blew me away in its compositional glory, I am not sure which of his paintings the progressive complexity could be alluding to: Otherwise this release is a bit of mixed bag. Back to the Japanese stuff straightaway after. source https://progressreview.blogspot.com/2026/03/didier-malherbe-in-1990s-fetish-cd-plus.html
Image

AJ Snow Headlines The Bricks in Los Angeles Debut

AJ Snow – Loe Kee Phlicks On Friday, February 27, rising artist AJ Snow headlined The Bricks in Maywood, marking a major milestone in his career with his first headlining performance in Los Angeles. The intimate setting of the venue created a raw and personal experience, allowing fans to feel every lyric and every beat up close. From the moment he stepped on stage, AJ commanded the room with confidence, delivering a high-energy set that balanced polished showmanship with genuine connection. The crowd responded enthusiastically as AJ moved through selections from his growing discography, performing records that longtime supporters knew word for word. He also treated fans to previews of unreleased material, offering a glimpse into the next chapter of his evolution as an artist. The new tracks hinted at continued growth in both sound and storytelling, proving that AJ is not only consistent but constantly leveling up. Born in Texas and raised in the Midwest, AJ Snow has been steadil...
Image

Terminal 5 opens expanded on-dock truck zone, so backups are ‘now over,’ port commissioner promises

https://westseattleblog-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2026/02/IMG_5364.jpg We were on the dock at Terminal 5 in northeast West Seattle this morning for those brief streamed speeches that in essence declared T-5’s half-billion-dollar modernization project is finally pretty much complete ( as summarized here ). No ribbon-cutting, no applauding crowd. Just a simple media invite – with us and a TV photojournalist showing up – and a short event on the windswept dock. It was a two-part announcement – one, that they’ve expanded the amount of plugs for refrigerated containers, and will now be able to accommodate more than 1,500. That means an expanded capacity for the food that Washington exports so much of – like apples. One speaker, a sales rep, talked about visiting a remote Mexican town where his family has roots, and discovering a Washington Red Delicious apple in a tiny store – there thanks to the sort of shipments T-5 can handle. But the really big news was what’s in our photo abo...