Music streaming service Rdio have come up with a new method of financially rewarding musical artists via what the company has dubbed the Rdio Artist Program. The first initiative of its kind, the Rdio Artist Program aims to encourage artists to interact with their fans by paying musicians a sum of $10 US for each fan they convince to subscribe to Rdio.
The Rdio Artist Program is active in Australia and all 14 countries in which Rdio is currently active. The program is open to all artists with an Rdio profile and works in conjunction with the licensing deals Rdio has currently established with labels and distributors. As Rdio founder Janus Friis explains, the new program was developed with the intention of rewarding artists, who are obviously the most crucial component in creating music and yet are sometimes not properly financially compensated.
“There is no art without artists… As part of this industry, we know a business that doesn’t reward its most important contributors is a business that has to change. The innovation of the Internet should not be a barrier to the success of music artists; it should allow them to be even more successful,” Friis said.
“All sorts of talented and innovative artists have found an audience for their music online,” Rdio CEO Drew Larner added, “But it’s incredibly hard to make a living doing it. The Artist Program offers artists a way to supplement their existing revenue streams by doing what they do naturally – connecting with fans. We’re aligning our focus on social music discovery with our fundamental belief that artists deserve to get paid for their work. We view it as a significant step forward for artists, fans and streaming music.”
