General Thoughts on Streaming Services

[Grimjack]

Um not these days, no. In my younger days when bands received revenue from radio play I listened.

Bands never received revenue from radio play. Not fifty years ago, not today. Radio doesn’t pay performance royalties in the United States. Only songwriters received royalties from radio play. Remember, a song has two primary royalties, one involving the songwriter for the underlying composition, and one involving the master recording for the performer. So in the case of a popular song like “Blinded By the Light”, Bruce Springsteen (songwriter) receives a royalty from radio play while Manfred Mann (performer) gets nothing. The United States is one of four countries in the world that operate this way, the other three being North Korea, China and Iran.

[Steve F.]

Bands never received revenue from radio play. Not fifty years ago, not today. Radio doesn’t pay performance royalties in the United States.

Actually, it does, but it only keeps track of the most popular playlists in major metropolitan areas, and so it gives the money collected on my behalf (for example) to Beyonce and Taylor.

Seriously. Google it.

[Grimjack]

Actually, it does, but it only keeps track of the most popular playlists in major metropolitan areas, and so it gives the money collected on my behalf (for example) to Beyonce and Taylor.

Seriously. Google it.

Seriously, it doesn’t. Never has. Satellite and interactive radio (like Pandora) is a different story but regular old terrestrial AM/FM radio has never, ever, ever, ever paid performance royalties. Ever ever ever ever ever. (Not to give you the idea that I’ve been in meetings with classic rock artists/managers recently who are ranting/railing about this very topic or anything like that of course...and I’d never say anything to disparage Legacy Recording artist Beyonce).

[Steve F.]

Seriously, it doesn’t. Never has. Satellite and interactive radio (like Pandora) is a different story but regular old terrestrial AM/FM radio has never, ever, ever, ever paid performance royalties. Ever ever ever ever ever.

Then it gives the songwriting royalties to the most famous people. There is money collected from every on - air station on behalf of rights holders. That's absolutely definite. I don't and didn't pay a lot of attention because, ultimately, none of it would ever make it to our folks, but I know it is collected.

[Buddhabreath]

P.S. We should get together some time in person and remember what each other looks like, while getting drunk enough that we can forget what each other looks like!

LOL, I'd might be up for that! These days drunken forgetfulness is starting to look more and more appealing...

[Grimjack]

Then it gives the songwriting royalties to the most famous people. There is money collected from every on - air station on behalf of rights holders. That's absolutely definite. I don't and didn't pay a lot of attention because, ultimately, none of it would ever make it to our folks, but I know it is collected.

That’s right...radio pays SONGWRITERS but in the US/China/Iran/North Korea, radio gives PERFORMERS a big NOTHING. And they are fighting hard to keep it that way. So for all the bitching about how streaming services have been screwing artists, radio has a multi-decade head start on them!

[Guntrip]

^^^

I see no reason whatsoever. Hell, somebody's gotta set me straight!

It's okay to dream. Especially when you know you're already dead.

[JKL2000]

A stream of one song pays the artist something like 1/1000 of a penny. No wonder most current musicians need a day job to survive.

Do they get paid if you start streaming a song but don’t finish it?

[progmatist]

Bands never received revenue from radio play. Not fifty years ago, not today. Radio doesn’t pay performance royalties in the United States. Only songwriters received royalties from radio play. Remember, a song has two primary royalties, one involving the songwriter for the underlying composition, and one involving the master recording for the performer. So in the case of a popular song like “Blinded By the Light”, Bruce Springsteen (songwriter) receives a royalty from radio play while Manfred Mann (performer) gets nothing. The United States is one of four countries in the world that operate this way, the other three being North Korea, China and Iran.

If anything, what streaming services are charged per play is exorbitant compared to over the air radio. In the early to mid 20 aughts, it was feared the comparatively massive fee, set by the Librarian of Congress, would smother internet radio in its infancy.

[aith01]

just another social media ruse to make money.

What is?

[Yodelgoat]

Life is good. I made $130 last Saturday night playing my own music - and some others too. Thats almost as much as I made on my CD since 2005. Life is good when you get paid for playing music. Lesson learned - Dont make digital music.

[moecurlythanu]

^ PM me. I'll buy your CD.

[ytserush]

Life is good. I made $130 last Saturday night playing my own music - and some others too. Thats almost as much as I made on my CD since 2005. Life is good when you get paid for playing music. Lesson learned - Dont make digital music.

I would imagine there's not much financial incentive to create new music these days unless you tour behind it and or get extremely lucky.

[Munster]

I really cannot work out why record companies use Spotify the way they do. Take the latest Gong release of the box set Love from the Planet Gong. It has just come out (and at the time of writing I have not received my ordered copy – come on GAS!) but it is already available on Spotify. Now, there are 124 tracks on the box set and, according to Google, Spotify pays $0.006 for each track played. So that means anyone playing every single track on the box set would bring in $0.70 for the record company, Universal Music, in royalties. The box set (not the digital version) is selling on Amazon for $154. That means there would need to be 220 people playing every single track on Spotify before Universal received $154 from Spotify. Were Universal to hold back from releasing the box set on Spotify for, say, three months, I am sure some of the people who would now listen to the streamed release would be tempted to buy the hard copy. Say just 10% of those 220 people (22 buyers) were not prepared to wait three months and then bought the box set, that would bring in about $3,400 for both Universal and the musicians. Surely that makes commercial sense. Sure, after three months, when all the excitement has died down, I can see the merits (from the record company’s viewpoint) of streaming the box set. But until then, why?

[progmatist]

^^ The main reason NBC fired Jay Leno and gave the Tonight Show to Fallon was to generate YouTube views. NBC soon found out YouTube views don't generate much cash.

[Vic2012]

I started connecting my phone to my car's bluetooth. Now I have unlimited data so I don't need wifi. So now I'm listening to YouTube while driving.

[Steve F.]

a real exchange from 5 minutes ago:


The following message was sent to you through the contact form on your Bandcamp page.
hello! i recently discovered your label and am already a huge fan. is there any chance the steve moore 'light echoes' release will find its way onto apple music streaming? i find thats where i am spending most of my listening time these days.

Nope. We don’t do streaming with anyone. Sorry.
Doesn’t pay dick and I won’t be a part of it.