We always mention Spotify or other streaming services as an example of systems which rip off musicians, but what about YouTube? It is also a way to stream old and new music, you can find about anything on the site. But what do artists get from this?
According to the San Francisco Weekly, which got it from a NPR story, they don’t get very much. Dead Kennedys’ guitarist Raymond Pepperell said that videos of the band posted on YouTube have been viewed more than 14 million times, however the band has only received ‘a few hundred dollars’:
‘I don't know — and no one I know knows — how YouTube calculates the money’
YouTube declared they pay the labels and the song writers a percentage of the revenue generated by their videos, and take 45% of ad revenue, ….but 45% of what? That’s a mystery… Raymond Pepperell added:
‘What YouTube claims is irrelevant until they produce how much they've made off my band and how much they've shared with my band. Don't let them bull s- – – you that it's too complicated.’
A few hundred dollars’ seems to be a ridiculous sum for 14 million viewing! The number of $ 0.0033 per stream is indicated on many websites, which seems to be even less than what artists received on Spotify!
The band OK Go has revealed the same story: whereas the band’s videos have been watched 200 million times, they didn’t make much. Without opening up about the real amount, OK GO’s manager Jamie Kitman said :
‘If that was your only source of revenue, you know, it would be time not only to not quit your day job but time to get a night job to supplement it.’
And to be even more specific, you get paid on YouTube only if you are a YouTube partner, and only when someone clicks on advertisement. It seems to be always the same story for musicians, and it becomes more and more difficult to make money for them whereas their music is available for free everywhere.