Apple will pay artists 0.2 cents per song played during the Apple Music trial
- jun
- 25
Apple will pay music artists 0.2 cents per song played during an Apple Music trial, according to The New York Times.
Significantly less than what Apple will pay music rights holders per stream by subscribed consumers, it's similar to how Spotify has things configured for its free streaming option. Previously, music labels and artists were upset by how Apple approached the free trial tier of Apple Music, essentially shutting them out of three months worth of revenue.
From The New York Times report:
"Apple had proposed raising its royalty rate slightly for paid streams — to 71.5 percent of revenue, from 70 percent — to make up for the loss of royalties during the trial period. Apple would still pay for downloads, but those would be competing with the free trials of the streaming feature, executives said, and many labels were upset by the prospect of three months of reduced income from the industry's biggest retailer."
As touched on above, this is a stark contrast to Apple's stance just days ago, before Taylor Swift published an open letter pleading with Apple to consider paying artists for their work on the free trial. The company originally didn't plan on paying out for plays racked up during free trials. Since the company altered course on the matter, Apple has signed a few more notable deals with big labels and rights holders.
Until the service launches next week, you can count down the days that remain before Apple Music is launched over on Facebook.
Source: The New York Times
