Apple Music u-turns from paying artists nothing to $0.002 per stream during three-month free trial
The fee Apple is going to pay artists during the first three 'free' months of its Apple Music service has reportedly been released.
Artists signed up to the service will earn $0.002 per stream, for the first three months, pre-tax, according to Music Business worldwide.
In the UK, after tax, music rights holders will receive a total of $0.0016 – which is still to be split between artists and labels – although the fee will rise slightly after the trial. Rival Spotify on the other hand claims it pays labels and publishers between $0.006 and $0.0084 per stream.
The Apple u-turn to reimburse artists during the three month window comes following payment pressure from Taylor Swift.
Later on the new, musician Pharrell Williams told The Drum: “It’s a very good day for music.”