# James Blake Joins ‘Vault’ to Tackle Music Streaming Monopoly: TF Word

1. [TF Word](https://www.ticketfairy.com/word.md)
2. [Music](https://www.ticketfairy.com/word/category/music.md)
3. James Blake Joins ‘Vault’ to Tackle Music Streaming Monopoly

- [Music](https://www.ticketfairy.com/word/category/music.md)

# James Blake Joins ‘Vault’ to Tackle Music Streaming Monopoly

With the aim of allowing musicians to earn directly from the music they make, the English singer and producer has joined the artist subscription-driven platform, sharing three unreleased tracks.

[Sagar Deshmukh](https://www.ticketfairy.com/word/author/sagar0204.md)

21 March 2024  · 4 min read

     English [Español](https://www.ticketfairy.com/es/word/2024/03/21/james-blake-se-une-a-vault-para-desafiar-el-monopolio-del-streaming-musical) [Français](https://www.ticketfairy.com/fr/word/2024/03/21/james-blake-rejoint-vault-pour-s-attaquer-au-monopole-du-streaming-musical) [Deutsch](https://www.ticketfairy.com/de/word/2024/03/21/james-blake-tritt-vault-bei-um-monopol-im-musikstreaming-anzugehen) [Bahasa Indonesia](https://www.ticketfairy.com/id/word/2024/03/21/james-blake-bergabung-dengan-vault-lawan-monopoli-streaming-musik) [Dansk](https://www.ticketfairy.com/da/word/2024/03/21/james-blake-slutter-sig-til-vault-i-kampen-mod-musikstreamingens-monopol) [Norsk](https://www.ticketfairy.com/no/word/2024/03/21/james-blake-blir-med-pa-vault-for-a-utfordre-monopolet-innen-musikkstromming)

***With the aim of allowing musicians to earn directly from the music they make, the English singer and producer has joined the artist subscription-driven platform, sharing three unreleased tracks.***

While tech layoffs have dominated dinner table conversations, the world of music hasn’t been too far behind. In the past few months alone, over 75 thousand employees across the industry have been relieved of their duties in an effort to decrease costs.

The elephant in the room? Spotify’s monopoly over the industry and the digital streaming platform model as a whole. For nearly a decade, the Swedish music streaming giant, and other major platforms offering similar services, have effectively controlled the way music is released worldwide. Something that hasn’t gone down well with many artists, especially James Blake.

The Grammy-winning English singer, songwriter, and producer, widely known for his 2019 electro-soul album, ‘Assume Form,’ went viral a few weeks ago when he spoke about the broken state of the music industry and how artists make little to nothing from the music they release on platforms like Spotify, TikTok, Apple Music, etc.

James Blake first expressed his displeasure with TikTok’s detrimental effects on the music industry before talking about how he and Frank Ocean didn’t make any money from his cover of Ocean’s ‘Godspeed,’ which went viral after its release. It’s no secret that Spotify pays an artist as little as $0.003 to $0.005 per stream, which is further broken down with label/management cuts, which leaves the artist with a minimal share in royalties for their art.

Spotify has now made it even tougher for an artist to make money from streaming by allowing payouts only after the particular song crosses a thousand streams, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Growing tired of these issues and inspired by “wanting to find a way for musicians to make money directly from the music they make,” James Blake has announced his partnership with the artist subscription platform, [Vault](https://vault.fm/jamesblake).

> Ok, so for the first time I’m going to be releasing from my vault of unreleased music
>
> We are launching [@vaultdotfm](https://twitter.com/vaultdotfm?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) to show music has inherent value beyond just exposure
>
> Subscribe to unlock ? [pic.twitter.com/pIic7Ef47G](https://t.co/pIic7Ef47G)
>
> — James Blake (@jamesblake) [March 20, 2024](https://twitter.com/jamesblake/status/1770484680963375519?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

“Most musicians are not extroverts who are social media and branding geniuses, least of all me. And I wanted to find a way for musicians to make money directly from the music they make, not least to be able to reinvest in the very expensive process of renting studios, hiring musicians, etc,” said Blake in the video he posted about the announcement.

Launched on March 20, Vault allows an artist to share their music directly with their fans for a subscription of $5 a month, hence cutting out all the potential middlemen that might be involved in a traditional release. The goal, according to Blake, is for artists to take control of their music by avoiding gatekeepers, charging what they feel is a fair price for their tunes, and interacting with fans directly about shows, releases, and any other announcements.

To kick things off, James Blake has already dropped three unreleased tracks, which he says are among many that he will be able to release due to the platform’s flexibility. You can access the tunes on [James Blake’s Vault profile](https://vault.fm/jamesblake).

The conversations surrounding musicians and the art they produce have recently taken a super-fan-oriented approach, where the goal is for fans to get first-hand access to their favorite artist’s music. However, with the current state of music streaming royalties, rising costs, taxes, and with touring growing to become more expensive than ever, it is only fair for artists to earn from their primary source of creation – which is through the digital release of their music.

It is certain that the music industry is gearing for a seismic shift in its functions; whether Vault’s launch is a step in the right direction, or whether it is another application that is similar to Patreon and Bandcamp, will be assessed in the coming months as artists familiarize themselves with the platform.

**You May Also Like:**

[6 Ways to Support Your Local Music Artist](https://www.ticketfairy.com/word/2022/08/08/6-ways-to-support-your-local-music-artist)

[Bandcamp Fridays Announce Fresh 2024 Dates](https://www.ticketfairy.com/word/2024/03/12/bandcamp-fridays-announce-fresh-2024-dates)

[SoundCloud to Go On Sale for $1BN Says Report](https://www.ticketfairy.com/word/2024/01/09/soundcloud-to-go-on-sale-for-1bn-says-report)

Share

 [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ticketfairy.com%2Fword%2F2024%2F03%2F21%2Fjames-blake-joins-vault-to-tackle-music-streaming-monopoly.md&text=James+Blake+Joins+%E2%80%98Vault%E2%80%99+to+Tackle+Music+Streaming+Monopoly) [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ticketfairy.com%2Fword%2F2024%2F03%2F21%2Fjames-blake-joins-vault-to-tackle-music-streaming-monopoly.md) [WhatsApp](https://api.whatsapp.com/send?text=James+Blake+Joins+%E2%80%98Vault%E2%80%99+to+Tackle+Music+Streaming+Monopoly+https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ticketfairy.com%2Fword%2F2024%2F03%2F21%2Fjames-blake-joins-vault-to-tackle-music-streaming-monopoly.md)

## Sagar Deshmukh

Drum & Bass head with a tinge of hip shake for Disco. A DJ when I am not glued to my screen!

 [More by Sagar Deshmukh →](https://www.ticketfairy.com/word/author/sagar0204.md)

TF Word newsletter

## The best of new music, every week

One email a week: the stories worth reading and the shows worth going to. No spam, unsubscribe any time.

    Your email address

By subscribing you agree to our [privacy policy](https://www.ticketfairy.com/privacy-policy). You're on the list straight away, and every email has an unsubscribe link.

## Keep reading

 [All Music →](https://www.ticketfairy.com/word/category/music.md)      [Featured](https://www.ticketfairy.com/word/category/featured.md)

### [Somerset Sounds Launches as Britain’s Newest Music Destination](https://www.ticketfairy.com/word/2026/09/21/somerset-sounds-launches-as-britains-newest-music-destination.md)

Sagar Deshmukh  21 Sep 2026

      [Events](https://www.ticketfairy.com/word/category/events.md)

### [Symmetry Festival Lands in Iowa This October!](https://www.ticketfairy.com/word/2026/09/18/symmetry-festival-lands-in-iowa-this-october.md)

Ivanova  18 Sep 2026

      [Featured](https://www.ticketfairy.com/word/category/featured.md)

### [Bass Music Icons Noisia Are Making Their Grand Return](https://www.ticketfairy.com/word/2026/09/17/bass-music-icons-noisia-are-making-their-grand-return.md)

Sagar Deshmukh  17 Sep 2026

---

This page is on Ticket Fairy, a ticketing, marketing and operations platform for live events and the venues that host them: festivals, club nights, concerts, conferences and tours, and night clubs, beach clubs and concert venues. It grows revenue with fan rewards that turn an audience into a sales channel, and runs the money side with payments and payouts, Vault business banking, and working capital advanced against ticket sales. [How Ticket Fairy ticketing works](https://www.ticketfairy.com/event-ticketing) · [Ticket Fairy for AI assistants](https://www.ticketfairy.com/llms.txt)
