SoundCloud Announce New 'Fan-Powered Royalties' System

Earlier today, Soundcloud became the first streaming platform to ever introduce fan-powered royalties.

"Fan-powered royalties are a more equitable and transparent way for independent artists who monetize directly with SoundCloud to get paid. The more fans listen on SoundCloud, and listen to your music, the more you get paid."

The debate around the ethics of music streaming has been raging on for a number of years now, with huge numbers of artists unsatisfied with the ways in which royalties are divided up. Whilst big name artists continue to draw in a consistent stream of revenue, artists further down the ladder often fail to get a fair share. SoundCloud are set on doing something about this.

“Many in the industry have wanted this for years. We are excited to be the ones to bring this to market to better support independent artists,” said Michael Weissman, SoundCloud’s chief executive officer, in a statement. “Artists are now better equipped to grow their careers by forging deeper connections with their most dedicated fan. Fans can directly influence how their favorite artists are paid.”

Following on from several parliamentary debates on the matter, and support from artists and organisations alike from across the music industry, it seems that the issue of streaming fairness is being tackled head on, and we are really excited to see how the music industry will continue to evolve in favour of those often neglected by the current system in place.

You can read the full details of the new system HERE.