Rdio begins paying artists $10 for every user they attract
Streaming music services have a bad reputation when it comes to paying their artists, who only earn a few cents each play. Rdio is trying to remedy that (and grow its subscriber base) by paying songsters $10 for every user they personally attract that stays around longer than a month. Brendan Benson, Scissor Sisters and Snoop Dogg Lion have already signed up, but it's not just for big names, any musician with an Rdio account can join -- tempting us to upload our Lady Gaga covers played on the Sousaphone in the quest for some of those rockstar riches.
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Rdio Introduces New Way for Artists to Make Money from Streaming Music
Artists will earn revenue from online fan engagement through Rdio Artist Program
SAN FRANCISCO, October 2, 2012 – Rdio (www.rdio.com), the digital music service founded by Janus Friis, one of the creators of Skype, today announced the launch of the Rdio Artist Program. This first of a kind program offers a new way for artists to directly earn money from streaming music.
Using Rdio, artists can easily share their own music and their music recommendations with fans. Fans will be able to instantly listen along with their favorite artists directly on the service and via Twitter, Facebook or other online properties. Artists will earn 10 USD for each new subscriber they attract to Rdio through social sharing - effectively rewarding them for fan engagement.
"There is no art without artists," said Rdio's founder Janus Friis. "As part of this industry, we know a business that doesn't reward its most important contributors is a business that has to change. The innovation of the Internet should not be a barrier to the success of music artists; it should allow them to be even more successful."
"All sorts of talented and innovative artists have found an audience for their music online," said Drew Larner, CEO of Rdio, "But it's incredibly hard to make a living doing it. The Artist Program offers artists a way to supplement their existing revenue streams by doing what they do naturally – connecting with fans. We're aligning our focus on social music discovery with our fundamental belief that artists deserve to get paid for their work. We view it as a significant step forward for artists, fans and streaming music."
The Rdio Artist Program is active in all 14 countries where Rdio is available and any artist with an existing artist page is eligible to join. This program complements the licensing deals Rdio already has in place with labels and distributors for access to music on the service, adding an additional direct revenue channel to artists and providing a new element of transparency around the streaming music model.
International recording artists Scissor Sisters, Snoop Dogg aka Snoop Lion, A-Trak, Chromeo and Brendan Benson – already fans of Rdio – are among the first artists to join the program.
"Up-and-coming artists are the future – they're the lifeblood of the industry," said Snoop Dogg. "I love that any new artist can take advantage of this program. I'm a fan of Rdio already and it's cool to see them supporting artists like this."
"I love Rdio. My wife and I use it all the time at home and on tour," said musician Brendan Benson, co-founder of Readymade Records and member of The Raconteurs. "I like that Rdio is giving back to musicians by compensating them directly through the Artist Program. It's really great that they are helping out the people who create music and I look forward to seeing how it evolves."
Participating artists will receive access to a web-based tool to manage their Artist Program account. Benefits include:
10 USD for every new subscriber brought to the service (for at least one month)
Real-time referral stats on visitors and subscribers
Rdio artist page customization options
Tools for trackable link creation and embeddable players for any Rdio music content
Access to tips, help documentation and Rdio support
The Rdio Artist Program represents Rdio's commitment to supporting the artist community and the music industry as a whole. Working together with artists, labels and fans, Rdio strives to create a sustaining and engaging model that benefits everyone involved. For more information and to join the program, visit www.rdio.com/artistprogram
