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Pandora Paid Over $1,300 for 1 Million Plays

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Re: Pandora Paid Over $1,300 for 1 Million Plays

#181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Please actually read TFA: artists get performance royalties from pandora, but not from terrestrial radio, but these were not included in the $16.89. Also, terrestrial radio plays likely reached many many more listeners than pandora did.

Satellite pays performance royalties. The fact the terrestrial is listen by more people is actually a plus for the artist, I think (more happy listener = more potential CD buyers)

I think you're screwing up your logic here. While I will agree that more listeners per royalty means more CD purchases, think through the implications of that. It means that the best situation for CD purchases is one with minimum royalties, in fact it's a situation with negative royalties causing large play counts. Also known as payola. Which means your original argument about royalty payments is disproved...

Re: Pandora Paid Over $1,300 for 1 Million Plays

#182
post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Its reverse. Record industry pays to have their songs played on the air there's even term for it, payola.

At my latest gig (new media), my employment agreement actually has a whole section on payola. #TheMoreYouKnow

Forbidding or encouraging? :-P

Re: Pandora Paid Over $1,300 for 1 Million Plays

#183
post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The ability to make a living is not a right, it's an opportunity. The same opportunity that made it possible for artists to record once and resell in the millions is now working against them. Where where they when the distribution companies who used to make a living from the music industry was laid off? Or the record stores? It's not a right, it's an opportunity.

My point was we're trying to judge the merit of an entire system by one tiny facet. What's a fair amount of money for this guy to get if it's not X? What if I was a QA tester and I complained on my blog that my dev team was unfairly closing the bugs I open as invalid, thus depriving me of my bug-based bonus? Seems crummy, but maybe that just how the industry goes and I'm still living comfortably. Obviously, there is…

When you take the timeline of the history of the planet Earth into account, there was a not so distant past where an artist, musician, etc. could make a living based solely on the support of a single benefactor. It seems as though the past 50 years is likely to be seen as a blip on the trend of how an artist is compensated for their work.

Re: Pandora Paid Over $1,300 for 1 Million Plays

#184
post #16

"A good flatterer doesn't lie, but tells his victim selective truths (what a nice color your eyes are). Good PR firms use the same strategy: they give reporters stories that are true, but whose truth favors their clients." I have no idea if David Lowery's original post about making only $16.89 for 1 million plays was distributed by a PR firm, but it sure feels like it. PG's thoughts on PR are spot on, and I love refe…

You raise a very good point aresant. Its a point which everybody should understand.

It is not interesting to post a story which says "Pandora Paid Over $1,300 for 1 Million Plays" but it is very interesting to post a story which says "My Song Got Played On Pandora 1 Million Times and All I Got Was $16.89"

I watched Mike Arrington (founder of TechCrunch) talk about PR on youtube at a startup seminar and he raised this exact point. Regardless of your agenda, a controversial story is far more newsworthy and will get you more coverage then a regular story.

Re: Pandora Paid Over $1,300 for 1 Million Plays

#185
I wonder what the performers/songrwriters think of the fact that I purchased (used) Aerosmith's Hits CD about five years ago for $3.00. I've probably listened (in various formats) to that CD about a hundred+ times in the last five years. There are 10 tracks, so, 1,000 plays for which everyone (Songwriters, Publishers, Performers, Distributes) - all received $0.00.

Multiply that by 1,000 Aerosmith fan's who bough a used CD, and you have 1 Million plays that generate $0.00 for the music industry.

I wonder if the Music industry feels that they are being treated unfairly by the Used CD Marketplace? Or how they feel about people just purchasing $4-$5 CDs used (S&H included) off of Amazon - the combination of low cost + convenience.

Ironically - in the last year, I signed up for iTunes Match ($25/year), so in theory, every time I listen to this CD the various contributors are once again receiving revenue.

Re: Pandora Paid Over $1,300 for 1 Million Plays

#186
If you could BUY a download or certain number of plays of the song for a nickel or a few cents (one-click and without transaction costs making it impractical)...

Would you?

patent issued... demo built and tested... its called a pooled-user-determined account which forms the root for an internet wallet.

I'm a terrible entrepreneur but despite that the concept seems to be making progress... especially for its potential in lobbying.

Re: Pandora Paid Over $1,300 for 1 Million Plays

#188

I wonder what the performers/songrwriters think of the fact that I purchased (used) Aerosmith's Hits CD about five years ago for $3.00. I've probably listened (in various formats) to that CD about a hundred+ times in the last five years. There are 10 tracks, so, 1,000 plays for which everyone (Songwriters, Publishers, Performers, Distributes) - all received $0.00. Multiply that by 1,000 Aerosmith fan's who bough a us…

The labels would outlaw used CD sales if they could. I know in a couple of states, efforts have been made:

http://www.wired.com/listening_post/2007/05/used_cd_sales_l/

Re: Pandora Paid Over $1,300 for 1 Million Plays

#189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is disproportionate given Pandora, after all is said and done, is yet to turn a profit. If Pandora was making millions or billions in income, its easier to argue they ought to pay a larger share to the musicians.

No one's arguing they should pay a larger share - just that they shouldn't pay less than they are currently paying.

And yet no one has explained why they shouldn't pay less than they are currently paying, when their competition pays far less.

Re: Pandora Paid Over $1,300 for 1 Million Plays

#190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If wishes were horses, we'd all be eating steak. Talking about "if" something that is true weren't doesn't seem very useful to me here. Illegal music sharing is reality and shows no signs of stopping, or being stopped.

I used to believe that, but now I am not as sure. I'm not sure most average people use bit torrent anymore. And the web is an extremely inconvenient way to try to access illegal content.

Are you being serious? Google "Youtube to Mp3" and have fun. The only real dent in piracy I have seen is that I can't find clips from my favorite episodes of The Simpsons and other Fox properties.... which is annoying because I tried to share a funny scene from Bob's Burgers and the clip was simply unavailable... viral advertising anyone? Sure some clips are available on Hulu... the ones they have pre-screened, but not the one I wanted to show. The networks are short-sighted in my opinion.
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