The rise of digital streaming has reshaped the music industry and changed what it means to make a living as a recording artist. But Vince Gill has never been particularly quick to embrace modern technology.

Gill made that clear during an appearance on the Playlisted Podcast, admitting, “You’re talking to a guy that has not really delved into the modern world of anything,” before adding, “Truth: I’ve never sent a text.”

His comments soon turned to the financial challenges artists face in the streaming era. After nearly five decades in the recording business, Gill has witnessed major changes in how musicians earn money from their work, and he believes many traditional revenue streams have faded.

“It’s kind of hard getting paid for what it is that you create … Back in the day, you’d make a fortune, you know, with radio play, record sales — all those things were all part of it — and a lot of that has dried up,” he explained.

Vince Gill Speaks On Struggling To Make Money In The Digital Era

Gill went on to describe how the shift away from physical album sales has affected songwriters and performers.

“I used to make money for writing songs, but also for selling records — you don’t sell records anymore,” he said on the Playlisted Podcast. “What you might make from selling records is gone.”

Host Austin Burke offered a different perspective, pointing out, “But the record labels are making more money than they’ve ever made.”

Gill was not convinced by that claim, responding, “I don’t know that I believe that.”

When Burke asked, “You don’t?” Gill elaborated: “I don’t know that I do. I don’t know enough to be dangerous, but I can’t fathom how they could be, you know, if they’re not selling millions of records for 20 bucks a piece.”

Although streaming services have made music more accessible than ever, Gill questioned whether that wider reach has brought comparable financial benefits to the people creating it. The way streaming royalties are distributed can also be difficult for listeners to understand.

A recent report, for example, estimated that Ella Langley’s record-breaking hit “Choosin’ Texas” had generated nearly $14 million. That figure was reported before the song reached its 25th non-consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. However, the terms of Langley’s agreement with her record label have not been made public.

Spotify explains its payment system on its royalties information page, stating that it distributes “net revenue from Premium subscription fees and ads to rightsholders.” The company further explains:

“In many cases, royalty payments happen once a month, but exactly when and how much artists and songwriters get paid depends on their agreements with their record label or distributor – or collection societies and publishers in the case of songwriters. Once we pay rightsholders according to their streamshare, they pay artists and songwriters according to their individual agreements.”

Spotify also reports having 788 million users worldwide, including 306 million subscribers.

Despite those figures, Gill said his experience with online streaming has not brought the same kind of financial return he once associated with his music.

“In all the times I’ve been streamed on YouTube or any of those formats, I’ve never received anything, you know?” he said. “So it’s kind of hard getting paid for what it is that you create.”

Gill also revealed that he only entered into a publishing deal within the past two or three years. For much of his career, he had preferred to retain control of his songwriting rather than share the earnings through a publishing agreement.

“I write my own songs. Doesn’t make sense to have a publishing deal — give up half the money. If I have good songs, maybe they’ll work, maybe they won’t,” he explained when discussing his previous approach.

His experience with a publisher has since changed his outlook. Gill said he has co-written around 150 songs during the partnership, calling the opportunity “the best blessing ever.”

Even so, his podcast appearance made clear that he continues to value the creative freedom of writing songs on his own. Reflecting on the differences between solo songwriting and collaboration, he brought up a memorable remark from singer-songwriter Roger Miller, best known for recording the country hit “King of the Road” in 1965.

Gill recalled that when Miller was asked about co-writing, he responded, “‘Did Picasso co-paint?’”

Gill agreed that collaboration has its place, but does not believe it needs to define the entire songwriting process.

“Co-writing is a great thing, but it doesn’t have to be everything, you know? ‘Go Rest High,’ I wrote by myself. A lot of my songs I’ve written by myself.”

He acknowledged the enjoyment that comes from working alongside other musicians, describing the “camaraderie that happens with a co-write is fun.” He also explained how collaborators can bring different strengths to a song, depending on their individual approaches.

“There would be times I’d co-write with people and they would be more centered around lyrics, and I would be more centered around melody and chords and music, and vice versa, sometimes I’d be the lyric-champion and they would be great players.”

Watch Vince Gill discuss his career in the digital music era in his full Playlisted Podcast interview. His anecdote about Roger Miller and co-writing begins at the 1:52:12 mark.