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Apr 14, 2021, 7 tweets

How much do artists make from streaming? In this new documentary our video journalist @Mediadon_ follows an up-and-coming artist as he tries to make a living during the pandemic in a music industry revolutionised by streaming ft.com/video/cae8ce65…

Traditionally, record deals paid artists upfront money in exchange for a share of the royalties from physical album sales while retaining ownership of the artist's master recordings. Musicians made money only after the advance was fully recouped👇 ft.com/video/cae8ce65…

As CD sales declined in the early 2000s, and labels started to lose money from illegal downloads, they began offering artists 360 deals, which take profits not just from album sales, but all other revenue streams, including touring and merchandise ft.com/video/cae8ce65…

While the pandemic has done great damage to many industries, in the US, music business revenue reached an all-time high of $12.2bn in 2020, up 9.2% from 2019.

If artists had to stop touring (a great source of revenue), how are they making money? ft.com/video/cae8ce65…

A majority of the music industry's revenue in 2020 came from streaming services, which brings more independence to artists as they can come into the platform even without a record label deal ft.com/video/cae8ce65…

'There's never been a better time to be a recording artist': Independent artists represent the fastest-growing sector in the global-recorded music industry, choosing more control over their careers and easier access to their fan base ft.com/video/cae8ce65…

Because labels have so much cash from streaming and are competing with each other for talent, they are also driving up the price for artists, who are in a better position to negotiate contracts, entering the post-pandemic world with more bargaining power ft.com/video/cae8ce65…

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