NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) — SoundCloud, the DIY music streaming platform, and digital music licensing platform Merlin, announced the formation of a global licensing deal allowing Merlin’s members to participate in SoundCloud’s Fan-Powered Royalties (FPR) model.
SoundCloud’s Fan Powered Royalties provides a share of each listener’s subscription or advertising revenue to be allocated directly to the rightsholders of tracks they listen to instead of being aggregated and distributed evenly to all rightsholders on the platform.
The model allows rightsholders and artists to directly benefit from fans, while providing concrete data on the demographics of those fans on the SoundCloud platform.
“At SoundCloud, we’re committed to being artist-first,” said Eliah Seton, Chief Executive Officer of SoundCloud. “The FPR model makes streaming royalties more equitable, helps artists benefit directly from their fans, and opens the door for more meaningful fan-to-artist connection. I’m thrilled that Merlin’s extraordinary community of independent labels and distributors, and by extension their artists, will now benefit.”
“Merlin is proud to partner with SoundCloud and bring their innovative Fan-Powered Royalties payout model to our global membership,” said Jeremy Sirota, CEO of Merlin. “This partnership provides our members and their artists with new revenue opportunities, as well as empowering fans to directly support their favorite artists from across Merlin’s global membership. This collaboration will strengthen Merlin’s community of independent rightsholders and provide them, and their artists, the tools to build closer relationships with fans.”
