"Surely Spotify is a vital means of getting your music heard out there, and getting your CDs bought."

I use Spotify a lot but I can't say Spotify has ever introduced me to a new act I hadn't previously heard of before. Perhaps does for pop and rock music - for younger listeners who click on 'Hot new hip-hop tracks' playlists or whatever. But traditional folk music is pretty niche.

I am much less likely to buy an album if it is on Spotify. Whereas if it is not on Spotify but is on Bandcamp, I will buy it. I suspect I'm not alone in that. There's no urgency to (ever) buy an album when you know you can listen to it as many times as you like for free on Spotify.

Most of the time, when someone is recommending some new artist there's usually a link to that artist's webpage or a YouTube video or something. So there are plenty of ways to check them out. They invariably have a Bandcamp or Soundcloud page.