 Like many of you, I initially got roped into the news that Apple is claiming to pay artists a penny a stream. After all, actually paying a penny for every stream of every song regardless of overall streaming volume would mean Apple is paying far more than what Spotify pays.
Then I read beyond the headlines. Turns out Apple is just using fancy math and smoke and mirrors to make it look like it's paying more than it actually is. Don't be fooled.
Here's basically how streaming payments work.... the more streams a service generates, the less per-stream rate it will pay, but the more overall the artists streamed would collect. So if Spotify users stream 10 times more music than Apple Music users, Spotify's per-stream payment would be roughly 10 times less, but overall pay more than Apple Music.
Only those aren't rates. Those are calculations. The whole argument over what service pays more is a big red herring that serves only to distract you from what's really important.
The real issue is... what's your cut?
Record labels had a banner year in the midst of a pandemic, while individual artists relying on touring revenue suffered. Last year, Spotify alone paid $5 billion to the music industry, almost 80% of which went to record labels. The recorded music business (read: labels) collected $13.3 billion last year from streaming services... nearly 20% more than the year before.
Did your streaming revenue increase 20% last year? Probably not.
If there's going to be real change in streaming payments, artists need to not only pressure Spotify (and ignore Apple's slick PR) but also direct some criticism to the music industry establishment. The labels want you to point fingers at Spotify because it keeps you from looking more closely at the money they're raking in on your behalf.
Better yet, don't play the labels' game at all. Trading away your rights in return for a short-term advance is a sucker's game. You have more options than ever before to raise the money you need to further your career without giving up any control.
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