13/11/2025
Why Music Lost Its Value — And How We Might Get It Back
It probably started with Napster. When most people discovered it, they went “Wow, music is free now!” Musicians went “How am I supposed to make a living now?”
When Music Was A Gift
I used to buy my wife and daughters music for Christmas; four CDs each: one jazz, one classical, one rock, and one pop. Designed to broaden their musical horizons and, if I’m honest, to steer them gently toward mine. That’s twelve CDs — about £180 worth of music. The money went to composers, musicians, publishers, retailers, and record companies. In part it helped sustain an ecosystem that encouraged artistry, discovery, and risk-taking.
There’s no way to do that now. You just can’t give music as a gift! No wrapping up a record, no shared excitement, no sense of ownership or occasion. I can’t imagine my grandkids waking up on Christmas morning and thanking me for the playlist I’ve dropped in their stocking.
The Son Of Napster
Napster’s son, Spotify, has been no saviour. Whoever negotiated the songwriter deal clearly only had the majors in mind. Not the independents. The decimal point in royalty payments needs to move two places to the right before they make any sense. And then there’s the indignity of paying Spotify £10 a month just to hear my own music without ads.
The Cultural Drift
This degradation of value has seeped into every corner of life. Music is no longer treated as art, or even craft, just a utility.
There are, of course, people with higher intentions: producers, editors, and directors who understand what music can do and use it brilliantly. They should be applauded. But they are the minority. Too often, music in TV and digital media is treated like render over poorly laid bricks; a palliative for lacklustre storytelling.
The Path Back
But here’s the thing: music hasn’t lost its power, just its place.
So how do we bring it back? By putting music, and its management, back in the hands of principled musical experts. Musical Directors for instance. Musically educated people. People who understand emotion, rhythm, and narrative; who know that music isn’t decoration, but structure; who treat it as the creative core, not the afterthought.
At Music for Sport, that principle still guides everything we do. Our catalogue exists to serve the story; to make pictures move, hearts lift, and audiences feel. The value of music isn’t in its price per stream; it’s in the connection it makes. When we start respecting that again, we’ll find music’s true worth hasn’t disappeared, it’s just waiting to be heard.
