Quote:
Originally Posted by Amnorix
Though, again, maybe you're distinguishing between what Spotify pays in royalties and what the actual artists get. Maybe there are 20 middlemen in between those two ends of the spectrum that each get their cut.
|
Here's the real deal about Spotify: They don't pay artists equally. More importantly (and something that is mostly unknown) is that the Major Labels own 20% of Spotify.
Now, while Spotify may state that they paid out $300 million, that figure includes the Master License Fee, which could be anywhere from $100 dollars per song to $100,000 per song. Artists and songwriters don't see that money from streaming services. That goes directly to the record label, as they own the Master Recordings.
That's just another reason why people like Tom Petty have long lobbied for the reversion of the Master Recordings to the Artist after a period of 15 years.