Arjen hosts a segment called "Deep Dive Thursday" on the show Lubach, focusing on Spotify. He discusses the platform's history, from the era of expensive CDs and artist exploitation to the rise of illegal downloading and the eventual emergence of Spotify as a solution. The segment explores how Spotify generates revenue and distributes it to artists, addressing concerns raised by Snoop Dogg about low earnings despite high stream counts. Arjen highlights the increasing competition among artists, the impact of geographical streaming disparities, and the rise of "leanback listeners" who favor background music. The segment further critiques the proliferation of generic, algorithm-friendly music and AI-generated content, which diminishes earnings for genuine artists. The segment concludes with a satirical instructional video from Spotify, advising artists to emulate Johan Röhr's strategy of creating specialized playlists for activities like relaxing or even for the deceased, and to consider corporate gigs for additional income.
