Spotify CEO Becomes Richer Than ANY Musician Ever While Shutting Down Site Exposing Artist Payouts
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</div> <p class="lead">The fight for fair pay continues.</p>
<p>Spotify’s CEO, Daniel Ek, is now worth around <b>$7.3 billion</b>, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/daniel-ek/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">according to a Forbes report</a>. To put that in perspective, that’s more than Taylor Swift’s, Rihanna’s, and Jay-Z’s net worth combined!</p>
<p>But while Ek is enjoying this milestone, controversies about Spotify’s low royalties are still louder than ever. And it looks like Spotify is doing what it can to address this in its own way, i.e. by shutting down <a href="https://www.spotifyunwrapped.org/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Spotify Unwrapped</a>, a protest site that exposes the platform’s payout disparities.</p>
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<ul class="m-0"><li><a href="https://www.headphonesty.com/2024/12/spotify-ceo-becomes-richer-musician-history/#Spotify_Royalties_Unwrapped">Spotify Royalties Unwrapped</a></li><li><a href="https://www.headphonesty.com/2024/12/spotify-ceo-becomes-richer-musician-history/#Streamings_Broken_Promises">Streaming’s Broken Promises</a></li><li><a href="https://www.headphonesty.com/2024/12/spotify-ceo-becomes-richer-musician-history/#Turning_the_Tables_on_Streaming_Giants">Turning the Tables on Streaming Giants</a></li></ul>
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<ul class="m-0"><li><a href="https://www.headphonesty.com/2024/12/spotify-ceo-becomes-richer-musician-history/#Spotify_Royalties_Unwrapped">Spotify Royalties Unwrapped</a></li><li><a href="https://www.headphonesty.com/2024/12/spotify-ceo-becomes-richer-musician-history/#Streamings_Broken_Promises">Streaming’s Broken Promises</a></li><li><a href="https://www.headphonesty.com/2024/12/spotify-ceo-becomes-richer-musician-history/#Turning_the_Tables_on_Streaming_Giants">Turning the Tables on Streaming Giants</a></li></ul>
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<h2 id="Spotify_Royalties_Unwrapped"><b>Spotify Royalties Unwrapped</b></h2>
<p>Spotify Unwrapped, was a website that showed exactly where your subscription money goes. Basically, it laid bare just how little artists get from each stream. And guess what? Spotify wasn’t too happy about that transparency.</p>
<figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2055292" class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_2055292" style="width: 1100px"><img alt="According to its website, Spotify Unwrapped was removed at the request of Spotify's legal team (From: SpotifyUnwrapped)" class="size-large wp-image-2055292" data-lazy-sizes="(max-width: 1100px) 100vw, 1100px" data-lazy-src="https://www.headphonesty.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SpotifyUnwrapped-1100x516.jpg" data-lazy-srcset="https://www.headphonesty.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SpotifyUnwrapped-1100x516.jpg 1100w, https://www.headphonesty.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SpotifyUnwrapped-300x141.jpg 300w, https://www.headphonesty.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SpotifyUnwrapped-768x360.jpg 768w, https://www.headphonesty.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SpotifyUnwrapped.jpg 1200w" decoding="async" height="516" src="data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201100%20516'%3E%3C/svg%3E" width="1100"/><noscript><img alt="According to its website, Spotify Unwrapped was removed at the request of Spotify's legal team (From: SpotifyUnwrapped)" class="size-large wp-image-2055292" decoding="async" height="516" sizes="(max-width: 1100px) 100vw, 1100px" src="https://www.headphonesty.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SpotifyUnwrapped-1100x516.jpg" srcset="https://www.headphonesty.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SpotifyUnwrapped-1100x516.jpg 1100w, https://www.headphonesty.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SpotifyUnwrapped-300x141.jpg 300w, https://www.headphonesty.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SpotifyUnwrapped-768x360.jpg 768w, https://www.headphonesty.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SpotifyUnwrapped.jpg 1200w" width="1100"/></noscript><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-2055292">According to its website, Spotify Unwrapped was “removed at the request of Spotify’s legal team” (From: SpotifyUnwrapped)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The site got shut down and now it points to the <a href="https://weareumaw.org/about" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Union of Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW) campaign page</a> instead.</p>
<p>But what exactly did Spotify want to hide?</p>
<div class="content-block block-border-left">Well, according to our research, <a href="https://www.headphonesty.com/2021/11/how-much-does-spotify-pay-per-stream/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">musicians get about $0.0032 per stream</a> on Spotify. Meaning, they need around 312,500 streams to earn $1000. Meanwhile, Ek has built a fortune worth $7.3 billion.</div>
<p>Because of this, some artists have resorted to unconventional ways to stay afloat.</p>
<p>Take <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/celebrity/article/as-lily-allens-onlyfans-shows-the-music-industry-has-shot-itself-in-the-foot-0fl7fgl7s" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Lily Allen’s story</a>, for instance. She’s not just some struggling newcomer but an established artist with millions of streams. Yet she’s had to turn to OnlyFans to make ends meet, where she’s actually earning more than she does from her music on Spotify.</p>
<blockquote><p>A platform that has nothing to do with music is putting more money in musicians’ pockets than the world’s biggest music streaming service.</p></blockquote>
<p>Just think about what that means for newcomers or those who are just not as big as Lily Allen, yet.</p>
<p>This isn’t just about numbers on a spreadsheet anymore. It’s about real artists who can’t afford to keep making the music we love. While Spotify’s getting bigger and richer, the people behind your favorite songs are scrambling to figure out how to pay their bills.</p>
<p>Critics see this as a <b>sign of systemic issues where profits are prioritized over fair compensation</b> for the people who make the music.</p>
<p>That’s why organizations like UMAW are fighting back to push for better royalty rates, transparency, and an end to exploitative practices.</p>
<p>After all, if Spotify’s doing so well, shouldn’t the artists who make it possible get more than pocket change?</p>
<h2 id="Streamings_Broken_Promises"><b>Streaming’s Broken Promises</b></h2>
<p>Spotify burst onto the scene with big promises about saving the music industry.</p>
<p>“We’ll give artists more control!” they said. “No more dealing with those pesky record labels!”</p>
<p>Well, that didn’t quite work out as planned.</p>
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<p>Most good stories have heroes and villains. But in this tale, our supposed hero Spotify turned into exactly what it promised to fight against.</p>
<p>The transformation from savior to corporate boss happened so gradually that many people didn’t notice until it was too late.</p>
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<p>The way Spotify makes money seems straightforward at first. They collect cash from your monthly subscription and from ads played to free users.</p>
<p>But back when it was just getting started, they made deals with record labels that set incredibly low streaming rates. Over time, <b>those rock-bottom rates became the norm</b> and<b> </b>now artists make way less than they used to get from selling albums or downloads.</p>
<p>Even worse, it seems like Spotify is finding more ways to pay artists less. Just this year, it changed its subscription plans to turn <a href="https://www.headphonesty.com/2024/04/spotify-raising-subscription-prices-year/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Individual plans into bundles</a>. This way, they can <a href="https://www.headphonesty.com/2024/04/spotify-lowers-artist-royalties-subscription-price-hike/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">pay artists less based on a loophole</a> in an older agreement.</p>
<figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2055291" class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_2055291" style="width: 1100px"><img alt="Spotify’s updated subscription plans. (From: Spotify)" class="size-large wp-image-2055291" data-lazy-sizes="(max-width: 1100px) 100vw, 1100px" data-lazy-src="https://www.headphonesty.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Spotify_s_updated_subscription_plans___From__Spotify_-1100x875.jpg" data-lazy-srcset="https://www.headphonesty.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Spotify_s_updated_subscription_plans___From__Spotify_-1100x875.jpg 1100w, https://www.headphonesty.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Spotify_s_updated_subscription_plans___From__Spotify_-300x239.jpg 300w, https://www.headphonesty.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Spotify_s_updated_subscription_plans___From__Spotify_-768x611.jpg 768w, https://www.headphonesty.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Spotify_s_updated_subscription_plans___From__Spotify_.jpg 1200w" decoding="async" height="875" src="data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201100%20875'%3E%3C/svg%3E" width="1100"/><noscript><img alt="Spotify’s updated subscription plans. (From: Spotify)" class="size-large wp-image-2055291" decoding="async" height="875" sizes="(max-width: 1100px) 100vw, 1100px" src="https://www.headphonesty.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Spotify_s_updated_subscription_plans___From__Spotify_-1100x875.jpg" srcset="https://www.headphonesty.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Spotify_s_updated_subscription_plans___From__Spotify_-1100x875.jpg 1100w, https://www.headphonesty.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Spotify_s_updated_subscription_plans___From__Spotify_-300x239.jpg 300w, https://www.headphonesty.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Spotify_s_updated_subscription_plans___From__Spotify_-768x611.jpg 768w, https://www.headphonesty.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Spotify_s_updated_subscription_plans___From__Spotify_.jpg 1200w" width="1100"/></noscript><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-2055291">Spotify’s updated subscription plans. (From: Spotify)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Life gets even tougher for independent artists. Without a big record label fighting in their corner, they’re stuck accepting whatever Spotify decides to offer. And, it’s <b>nowhere near enough to make ends meet</b>.</p>
<p>The situation stays stuck because nobody with power wants change. Spotify, <a href="https://www.headphonesty.com/2021/05/review-amazon-music-hd/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Amazon Music</a>, and <a href="https://www.headphonesty.com/2021/03/review-youtube-music/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">YouTube Music</a> have split up the streaming world between them like pieces of a pie.</p>
<p>However, their focus is on pleasing investors, not fixing the broken system.</p>
<p>Here’s a quick look on <a href="https://www.headphonesty.com/2024/04/support-musicians-stop-playing-music-social-media/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">how much each platform pay per stream</a>:</p>
<table class="tablepress tablepress-id-414 row-center small tablepress-responsive" id="tablepress-414">
<thead>
<tr class="row-1 odd">
<th class="column-1"><b>Platform</b></th><th class="column-2"><b>Pay per stream</b></th><th class="column-3"><b>Streams to get $1,000</b></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody class="row-hover">
<tr class="row-2 even">
<td class="column-1">Tidal</td><td class="column-2">$0.013</td><td class="column-3">76,924</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row-3 odd">
<td class="column-1">Apple Music</td><td class="column-2">$0.01</td><td class="column-3">100,000</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row-4 even">
<td class="column-1">Amazon Music</td><td class="column-2">$0.004</td><td class="column-3">250,000</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row-5 odd">
<td class="column-1">Spotify</td><td class="column-2">$0.0032</td><td class="column-3">312,500</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row-6 even">
<td class="column-1">Youtube Music</td><td class="column-2">$0.008</td><td class="column-3">125,000</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row-7 odd">
<td class="column-1">Pandora</td><td class="column-2">$0.0013</td><td class="column-3">769,231</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row-8 even">
<td class="column-1">Deezer</td><td class="column-2">$0.0064</td><td class="column-3">156,250</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row-9 odd">
<td class="column-1">Qobuz</td><td class="column-2">$0.043</td><td class="column-3">23,255</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
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<h2 id="Turning_the_Tables_on_Streaming_Giants"><b>Turning the Tables on Streaming Giants</b></h2>
<p>Artists aren’t taking this lying down anymore. Groups like the Union of Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW) are taking up the fight to push for a system that treats artists with dignity.</p>
<figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2055294" class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_2055294" style="width: 1100px"><img alt="UMAW's Justice at Spotify campaign logo. (From: WeAreUMAW.org)" class="size-large wp-image-2055294" data-lazy-sizes="(max-width: 1100px) 100vw, 1100px" data-lazy-src="https://www.headphonesty.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/justice-1100x435.jpg" data-lazy-srcset="https://www.headphonesty.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/justice-1100x435.jpg 1100w, https://www.headphonesty.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/justice-300x119.jpg 300w, https://www.headphonesty.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/justice-768x304.jpg 768w, https://www.headphonesty.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/justice.jpg 1200w" decoding="async" height="435" src="data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201100%20435'%3E%3C/svg%3E" width="1100"/><noscript><img alt="UMAW's Justice at Spotify campaign logo. (From: WeAreUMAW.org)" class="size-large wp-image-2055294" decoding="async" height="435" sizes="(max-width: 1100px) 100vw, 1100px" src="https://www.headphonesty.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/justice-1100x435.jpg" srcset="https://www.headphonesty.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/justice-1100x435.jpg 1100w, https://www.headphonesty.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/justice-300x119.jpg 300w, https://www.headphonesty.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/justice-768x304.jpg 768w, https://www.headphonesty.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/justice.jpg 1200w" width="1100"/></noscript><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-2055294">UMAW’s Justice at Spotify campaign logo. (From: WeAreUMAW.org)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Their <a href="https://weareumaw.org/justice-at-spotify" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><b>Justice at Spotify campaign</b></a> focuses on three core demands:</p>
<ul>
<li>A <b>flat rate of $0.01 per stream</b> to give artists a fair shot at sustainable income.</li>
<li><b>Transparent payout structures and deals</b> to ensure every artist is treated equally.</li>
<li>An end to <b>secretive agreements with major labels</b> that deepen inequities.</li>
</ul>
<p>To back this up, <a href="https://weareumaw.org/make-streaming-pay" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">UMAW</a> is championing the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7763" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><b>Living Wage for Musicians Act</b></a>, a proposed law designed to rewrite the rules of streaming royalties. With these, they’re taking both the street-level protests to legislative changes to address the issue.</p>
<p>Music fans have power in this fight too.</p>
<p>Maybe you can’t change the streaming industry overnight, but <a href="https://www.headphonesty.com/2024/12/concert-ticket-prices-control-not-changing/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">every concert ticket you buy</a>, every t-shirt you grab from the merch table, or every time you use a platform that pays artists fairly adds up. You can also switch to streaming platforms that pay artists better such as <a href="https://www.headphonesty.com/2021/06/review-tidal/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Tidal</a>, <a href="https://www.headphonesty.com/2024/02/reasons-qobuz-best-music-streaming-platform-audiophiles/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Qobuz</a>, or <a href="https://www.headphonesty.com/2021/04/review-apple-music/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Apple Music</a>.</p>
<p>And, when fans and groups like UMAW work together, they create the kind of pressure that can force big companies to listen.</p>
<p>Looking at Spotify now feels like watching a movie where the good guy turns bad. A company that started out wanting to revolutionize the music industry now stands as a symbol of the same inequities it promised to erase.</p>
<p>As its CEO becomes wealthier than any musician in history, the people who make the music struggle to earn a fair share.</p>
<p>We don’t need to wonder if this system can work better. We need to decide if we care enough to fix it.</p>
