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CAN I GET PAID? GRAMMY NOMINATED ARTIST REVEALS HIS ROYALTY STATEMENT-SAND IT'S NOT PRETTY
Madame Noire
Feb 9 2015
February 9, 2015 รข~@~P
By Ann Brown
Most people think musicians and Grammy nominated artists are rolling
in the dough. But fact is, the majority of artists have to work hard
for their money and lots of times have to fight for income such as
royalty rights.
Mega successful Taylor Swift engaged in an epic battle with streaming
music service Spotify over her royalties. In fact, so upset that she
didn't receive the royalties she claimed was due to her, Swift last
year removed her entire back catalog from Spotify.
Just recently Grammy nominated composer, keyboardist, and recording
artist Armen Chakmakian graphically illustrated just how little artists
make on royalties by releasing his royalty statements to the public.
The Armenian-American musician revealed that out of 14,227 performances
of music (almost every track 100 percent owned by Chakmakian, played
everywhere from streaming services like Pandora to over speakers at
events) he only generated $4.20 in royalty earnings.
There are striking differences on the amount of royalties earned
on different outlets. One performance of his songs "Ceremonies" or
"Distant Lands" on a streaming radio show like Hearts of Space earned
him 26 cents for the full writer's share compared to when his song
"Gypsy Rain" was play a whopping 2,088 times on Spotify and brought
in just a measly 60 cents.
"Someone's making money, and in true fashion with the music industry,
it's not the artists. Business practices like this are one of the
reasons I jumped ship and only write for television now," writes
Chakmakian in Digital Music News.
He also shows his artist's statement from SoundExchange (an independent
digital performance rights organization) from the same period showing
Chakmakian was paid $11.50 in royalties. "I received a total of $30.89
from them - $11.50 for the artist; $19.39 for the label (I'm the label,
TruArt Records)," he confirms.
It's no secret that the music industry is changing. Forbes listed some
of the major shifts; even as people are listening to more music than
ever, they're purchasing fewer downloads in favor of streaming. So
money is being made more often through touring and partnerships
with brands. Companies spent $1.3 billion last year to partner with
musicians, which is why you see so many artists turning up in ads
these days.
http://madamenoire.com/509914/can-get-paid-grammy-nominated-artist-reveals-royalty-statement-not-pretty/
Madame Noire
Feb 9 2015
February 9, 2015 รข~@~P
By Ann Brown
Most people think musicians and Grammy nominated artists are rolling
in the dough. But fact is, the majority of artists have to work hard
for their money and lots of times have to fight for income such as
royalty rights.
Mega successful Taylor Swift engaged in an epic battle with streaming
music service Spotify over her royalties. In fact, so upset that she
didn't receive the royalties she claimed was due to her, Swift last
year removed her entire back catalog from Spotify.
Just recently Grammy nominated composer, keyboardist, and recording
artist Armen Chakmakian graphically illustrated just how little artists
make on royalties by releasing his royalty statements to the public.
The Armenian-American musician revealed that out of 14,227 performances
of music (almost every track 100 percent owned by Chakmakian, played
everywhere from streaming services like Pandora to over speakers at
events) he only generated $4.20 in royalty earnings.
There are striking differences on the amount of royalties earned
on different outlets. One performance of his songs "Ceremonies" or
"Distant Lands" on a streaming radio show like Hearts of Space earned
him 26 cents for the full writer's share compared to when his song
"Gypsy Rain" was play a whopping 2,088 times on Spotify and brought
in just a measly 60 cents.
"Someone's making money, and in true fashion with the music industry,
it's not the artists. Business practices like this are one of the
reasons I jumped ship and only write for television now," writes
Chakmakian in Digital Music News.
He also shows his artist's statement from SoundExchange (an independent
digital performance rights organization) from the same period showing
Chakmakian was paid $11.50 in royalties. "I received a total of $30.89
from them - $11.50 for the artist; $19.39 for the label (I'm the label,
TruArt Records)," he confirms.
It's no secret that the music industry is changing. Forbes listed some
of the major shifts; even as people are listening to more music than
ever, they're purchasing fewer downloads in favor of streaming. So
money is being made more often through touring and partnerships
with brands. Companies spent $1.3 billion last year to partner with
musicians, which is why you see so many artists turning up in ads
these days.
http://madamenoire.com/509914/can-get-paid-grammy-nominated-artist-reveals-royalty-statement-not-pretty/