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Apple Streaming

2015 June 30
by Mike Vial

Apple Stream went live today.

NPR’s article didn’t report two important facts, so here they are: Apple did agree to pay artists during the three month free trial period, after T-Swift’s blog; they agreed to pay $0.002 per stream.

In sale terms that’s 495 streams to equal one $0.99 sale on iTunes.

Also, comps to company employees won’t be paid (DigitalMusicNews’s article) so when rich Apple execs is stream music off an iPhone, artists have to give that stream up for free!

(That’s such a ridiculously perfect example of income inequality in America, I have to stop typing to chuckle!)

I’m on the fence here.

I want the public to embrace a streaming platform like I have, as a consumer. I’ve been paying for Spotify since it’s USA launch in July of 2011. As a consumer of music, it’s awesome; however, for artists, it’s really not awesome yet.

Hopefully, Apple can convince 3x as many folks to pay $10 a month as Spotify has been able to accomplish over four years. Even after the free trial period, I estimate that it will take 200+ stream to equal one song sale on iTunes.

Sadly, most artists like myself will still make more money busking at a farmer’s market than anything streaming will offer.

PS: My appearance at the Ann Arbor Art Fair on Sunday–that I did for fun–would be worth 27625 streams during the Apple free trial!

GinnyattheMarket2015

 

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