3 Truths About Last.fm’s Royalty Plan
Last week’s announcement offering direct royalty payments to unaffiliated indie artists was not altruism as some would have you believe. The laws require that they pay for use. Last.fm was simply circumventing established groups like Merlin that it has failed to come to terms with.
- By making a public offer to musicians it has also unilaterally created a base line for all future negotiations with other rights holders
By speaking out, Merlin has turned successful negotiations with Last.fm a make it or break it issue for the fledgling group; who a year after its inception has yet to complete a single significant deal on behalf of its 12K indie members.
Tell us what you think of Last.fm royalty offer and Merlin’s response in two quick Hypebot polls here as well as the comments section.
Share on:
I’m not sure why Merlin took such a hard line approach, especially with requiring back pay royalties. Given the fact that last.fm doesn’t have to pay these royalties, since all artists uploaded the music under a valid user agreement that gave last.fm a royalty free license, why would they EVER agree to this? While it would awesome if they did, Merlin shouldn’t have made this an issue, as it weakens their positions for the other points.
When merlin first appeared, it seemed amazing, but what have they really done? Besides, as an unsigned artist, I can’t join Merlin, can I? Hopefully Merlin can start making some significant deals to make the lives of its 12k musicians better. If not, Merlin is just another organization that does little for musicians!
Had high hopes for Merlin. Damn.