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0 pointsdmitriid4y ago0 comments

> Comments like this one are a real puzzler to me. Why does it matter that the higher royalty is not out of altruism? It’s money! Money doesn’t care. More money for artists is good. You can’t buy a cheeseburger with altruism.

All the money that streaming services pay out goes to copyright holders. Guess who the copyright holders are. If you say "artists", think again. For the absolute vast majority of music it's the Big Four/Three: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_industry#Consolidation

So, when the likes of Spotify pay 60-70% of their revenue to the record labels, and the artists get peanuts... Spotify (and Tidal, and Apple Music, and...) get blamed. Now this is a real puzzler.

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4 comments · 1 top-level

DangitBobby4y ago· 3 in thread

But the artist does get more peanuts if I stream on a service that spends more on royalties per play, yes?

8note4y ago

If they just sold it, then no? They might get more for their next sale, though I imagine the count of streams is more influential for that than the revenue per stream

DangitBobby4y ago

> If they just sold it, then no?

Please explain.

> though I imagine the count of streams is more influential for that than the revenue per stream

Whether I listen on Apple or Spotify, their count of streams increases by the same amount.

dmitriidOP4y ago

Until the Big Four renegotiate the agreement, yes.

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