Streaming Music Isn’t a Free Market. It’s a Regulated Monopoly.

Today's guest is David Lowery, the legendary frontman of the bands Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker, digital copyright crusader, Ph.D., and longtime Reason reader.

He dives deep into his sprawling, deeply personal new record Fathers, Sons & Brothers and the postwar California Dream, talks about how the music industry broke, and suggests ways to maybe, just maybe, fix it.

He's sued Spotify and other streaming services, teaches business at the University of Georgia, and he’s dropped what might be the best one-liner about selling out since The Who.

If you care about music, creative freedom, and getting paid for your work, this one is for you.

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0:00 – Intro
0:52 – Lowery’s Reason connection
2:34 – Fathers, Sons, and Brothers
15:25 – Lowery’s musical inspirations
19:25 – Camper Van Beethoven
28:31 – What it was like being indie in the 80s
35:48 – Cracker and alternative rock
42:26 – What does it mean to ‘sell out?’
48:56 – Streaming music and artist compensation
58:01 – Lowery’s class action lawsuits
1:01:07 – Royalty rates and copyright protections
1:07:30 – Has the DTC model improved the music business?
1:15:50 – Optimism for the future of music

Producer: Paul Alexander
Audio Mixer: Ian Keyser
Illustration: Eddie Marshall