A very interesting article by David Friend at The Canadian Press was released today at CTV news. The post deals with the hardships that current musicians, who are not at the very top of the success ladder, experience when it comes to not being able to receive any significant income from the popular streaming services, such as Spotify or Apple Music. The article mentions even Juno-nominated artists sometimes receive checks for just “3 cents” for being played hthousands of times on Spotify. However pulling own music from such services (as artists such as Taylor Swift have previously done) would only mean such musician would completely distance himself and mostly his music from new possible audiences.
Pierre Bouvier from Simple Plan has been quoted in this article numerous times, explaining why a band like Simple Plan can feel helpless when it comes to music streaming services, even if they have millions of digital plays on their account.
“Bands like us are standing on the sidelines. We don’t really have the power to change anything. There is not a whole lot of money to be made unless you’re the top one per cent … streaming a billion … then you’re just swimming in it. But if you’re streaming a million … or 10 million that’s not really going to pay you anything.”
According to the post that is “one reason [Pierre Bouvier feels] less optimistic about the next generation of musicians hoping to make a living off recorded music.”
“I feel like if my kids told me right now [they wanted to get into music] I’d be like, ‘Forget about it.”‘
During their rehearsals a couple weeks ago, the members of Simple Plan let a reporter from Radio Canada join them in their rehearsal space and talk to them about their new album, the changes that the music industry went through in the last decade and more. A very interesting part of the interview was when the reporter brought up the topic of the terrorist attack at the Bataclan venue in Paris, France that took place last November. 
If you’re in the UK (or anywhere else where you’re lucky enough to get your hands on it), make sure to check out the brand new issue of the Kerrang magazine. The editors of the music magazine put together a list of the “greatest pop-punk albums ever”, which includes the likes of Blink-182, All Time Low, Green Day and lo and behold – Simple Plan.
The latest issue of Alternative Press magazine featured a page dedicated to musicians’ tattoo experience – both the good and the bad kind. And our own Pierre Bouvier was featured there with his story about his worst tattoo experience regarding his sleeve tattoo, which you can read about below or on the scan from AP 
