Thursday 16 January, 2025

Blink 182's Tom DeLonge says streaming music is like 'killing elephants'

Streaming music is like ivory poaching, he says.

BLINK 182 SINGER Tom DeLonge has compared streaming music to “killing elephants”, saying it is hurting the music industry.

Blink-182 announce Summer Concert Tour - Los Angeles Tom DeLonge (L) with his Blink 182 bandmates Travis Barker and Mark Hoppus Gregg DeGuire / EMPICS Entertainment Gregg DeGuire / EMPICS Entertainment / EMPICS Entertainment

Taylor Swift’s decision to pull her music from Spotify earlier this month has sparked a debate about the value streaming places on music as an art form.

During an acceptance speech at the American Music Awards on Sunday night, she further solidified her position, saying:

What you did by going out and investing in music and albums, you are saying that you believed in the same thing that I believe in. That music is valuable and music should be consumed in albums and albums should be consumed as art and appreciated.

42nd Annual American Music Awards - Los Angeles AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

Spotify’s CEO Daniel Ek has since defended the service, calling the ‘free music’ label a “myth” and revealing that $2 billion a year is paid out to labels, publishers, artists and songwriters.

Now Blink 182′s Tom DeLonge has added his two cents, saying streaming music is like “killing elephants for their tusks and carving ivory statues”.

He told the music website Faster Louder:

It’s cool to put [the ivory statue] on your shelf but if you really think about what you’re doing it sucks. Streaming music is doing the same thing to artists – might not be killing ‘em but it’s killing the industry… We’ve got to value out art, you know?

This, from the man who has written a song entitled F*ck A Dog. But we’ll say nothing.