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Pandora Paying Artists $0.0001 More Per Stream Than It Was Last Year

journovampire writes: Pandora has revealed that it's paying a 10,000th of a dollar more to music labels and artists than it was in 2014. From the article: "Pandora has revealed that its royalty payments to SoundExchange, the US licensing body which collects performance royalties on behalf of record labels and artists, have just increased by 8%. The news was confirmed in a call with investors following Pandora’s Q1 fiscal results announcement on Thursday (April 23), in which it posted a three-month net loss of $48.3m. In what Pandora CEO Brian McAndrews called a scheduled annual step-up, Pandora has from January 1 been paying out an average $0.0014 per ad-funded stream and $0.0024 per premium stream to SoundExchange."

12 of 124 comments (clear)

  1. That's way too much by etash · · Score: 4, Funny

    the artists are gonna be rich now and we won't be able to control them!

  2. Artists don't make money from music sales. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    They never really have. Middlemen who constantly keep them relevant with advertising, publish/distribute their music, etc. make all of that money.

    Artists make money by going on tour, and by using their fame to get into other business ventures. They don't bank on Pandora making them money, because of Pandora paid more, the middlemen would get that money. All Pandora does is keep them relevant.

    1. Re:Artists don't make money from music sales. by tagous · · Score: 3, Informative
  3. Re:BAh, by Richard_at_work · · Score: 3, Interesting

    At what point did Pandora explicitly ask the artists if they wanted their work advertising? At which point did the artists explicitly agree to Pandora advertising their works?

    When you build a product which is specifically built around using other peoples works to satisfy your customers requirements, at some point you have to pay the piper - so stop with the fucking advertising "argument", Pandora is taking money from subscribers and advertisers on the back of the works of third parties, so of course there should be recompense to those third parties where those parties require recompense.

  4. Incorrect. by Lumpy · · Score: 5, Informative

    Pandora is paying record labels via ASCAP and BMI that much more. Artists are probably getting less because the record labels and ASCAP/BMI are charging an extra processing fee.

    The artists only lose because of the leeches that grab onto them and suck them dry.

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  5. Re:This is why.. by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 2

    and you can pirate with impunity.

    Arrghh, ye be takin' all the fun out of it, matey.

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
  6. Re:BAh, by Eponymous+Coward · · Score: 2

    > Broadcast radio pays nothing

    In the US, they pay BMI and ASCAP.

  7. Re:BAh, by jedidiah · · Score: 2

    In the US, only song writers are paid for radio play.

    Performers are not.

    --
    A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
  8. Re:BAh, by Eponymous+Coward · · Score: 2

    That's not true for satellite radio.

  9. Commercial radio has a sweet deal by Overzeetop · · Score: 4, Informative

    Radio stations pay exactly zero to the performing artists. What they pay are royalties to the songwriters. And compared to Pandora, those rates are insanely low per "stream" - i.e. per event coming out of a receiver. They may be paying $0.60-$1.00 a spin at a large metro station, but with 100,000+ average listeners for a top-of-market station, that's less than 1/10 of what Pandora pays.

    --
    Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
  10. Re:This is why.. by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 2

    Pandora has 200 million users. If they're all listening to 20 songs per day, that's $400,000 of royalties per day.

  11. Re:Some quick math by Gibgezr · · Score: 2

    Coffee cleanup on keyboard 1, please.