Spotify Breaks Its Silence - What about VEVO? And who’s Really Paying the Price? - Fira Music
Spotify Breaks Its Silence – But Who’s Really Paying the Price?
A recent Headphonesty article lays it out plain and simple: While Spotify pours billions into expansion and PR stunts, the real creators—the artists—are left fighting for scraps. The numbers speak for themselves: Artists earn, on average, just $0.0032 per stream. That means you’d need over 300,000 streams just to make $1,000. Even established musicians like Lily Allen are forced to look for alternative platforms just to survive.
Streaming – The Promise vs. Reality
Spotify was supposed to be the savior of the music industry—a platform that democratizes access and creates new opportunities for artists. The reality? It’s a system designed not to empower musicians, but to maximize profits for shareholders. One perfect example: the takedown of Spotify Unwrapped, a site that exposed just how little artists actually make per stream.
Systemic Issues and the Fight for Fair Pay
The problem goes deeper. Streaming giants operate within a framework that ensures artists get paid as little as possible. Organizations like the Union of Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW) are pushing for more transparency and fairer payouts—like a fixed $0.01 per stream—but the current model is built to keep the real numbers hidden.
And What About VEVO?
If we’re talking about streaming revenue, VEVO should be making just as much noise about unfair payouts, right? But they’re not. Why? Because VEVO was built by the labels. Universal, Sony, and Warner didn’t just found VEVO, they also built and still control the payment system. And when you control the system, you don’t complain about it. That’s why you never hear VEVO crying about streaming revenues, even though billions are flowing through their platform as well. Once again, it’s the artists who are getting squeezed.
The Real Question: Where Is the Money Going?
Here’s the kicker: While artists get paid pennies, the actual revenue per 1,000 streams (CPM) is over €5, which translates to roughly $0.05 per stream. That money exists—it’s just not making its way to the people creating the music.
And no, this isn’t just about bad contracts. It’s about lack of transparency. Streaming platforms, labels, and collection agencies shuffle numbers around in ways that make it nearly impossible for artists to see what they’re truly owed.
How To Help Artists Find Their Money
You have to know where to look, you have to know how to track hidden revenue, and you have to know the tricks these platforms use to avoid paying artists their fair share. Too often, money simply “disappears” because nobody is checking the fine print and what questions should be asked.
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