Spotify to Pay Songwriters About $150 Million Less Next Year With Premium, Duo, Family Plan Changes
www.billboard.com
Spotify will potentially pay songwriters about $150 million less in U.S. mechanical royalties next year after bundling its plans with audiobooks.

When Bloomberg reported that Spotify would be upping the cost of its premium subscription from $9.99 to $10.99, and including 15 hours of audiobooks per month in the U.S., the change sounded like a win for songwriters and publishers. Higher subscription prices typically equate to a bump in U.S. mechanical royalties — but not this time.

By adding audiobooks into Spotify’s premium tier, the streaming service now claims it qualifies to pay a discounted “bundle” rate to songwriters for premium streams, given Spotify now has to pay licensing for both books and music from the same price tag — which will only be a dollar higher than when music was the only premium offering. Additionally, Spotify will reclassify its duo and family subscription plans as bundles as well.

  • Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    15·
    6 months ago

    Pirate and go to live shows.

    Companies love selling you digital stuff cause they are essentially giving you nothing (as in it doesn’t cost them anything).

        • supersquirrel@sopuli.xyzEnglish
          17·
          6 months ago

          Bandcamp is in the rapid process of enshittification, so this is a temporary solution at best at this point :(

          • Emerald@lemmy.worldEnglish
            2·
            6 months ago

            Not really rapid. They were acquired, but I haven’t noticed anything happen yet at all in my entire time using Bandcamp that would be “enshittification”

            • supersquirrel@sopuli.xyzEnglish
              31·
              6 months ago

              They already fired half the employees who work for Bandcamp, Bandcamp is dead as an entity, just because is still flying through the air based on its own momentum yet and hasn’t coming crashing back to earth doesn’t mean that isn’t what is about to happen.

              Bandcamp has always been amazing because it was run not like a massive corporation and those days are over.

    • bob_lemon@feddit.deEnglish
      41·
      6 months ago

      I agree that live shows (and buying merch) is the best way to support artists.

      But the CDNs required to run a music streaming service are anything but cheap.

      • Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        1·
        6 months ago

        But the CDNs required to run a music streaming service are anything but cheap.

        Yeah, I still think music streaming makes little sense cause usually people listen to songs over and over. Movie streaming makes more sense cause most people watch one title and not watch it again for years or ever.