Calling all recording thereminists!
There are lots of ways to make money with your music online. Services like CD Baby, Pandora, and TuneCore make it relatively easy to make your music available to the masses. Unfortunately, unless you're the next Psy, the royalties you get from some of these services usually don't amount to much.
This could all change, however, as online music service Rdio is upping the ante by offering artists $10 per new subscriber they attract to their service. The new Rdio Artist Program is currently only available in the United States, though one might imagine that the program could expand if it proves to be successful.
For those unfamiliar with Rdio, here's a quick summary: Like other online music streaming services, they offer a huge library of music members can listen to on their desktop PC, tablet, or phone. Where some services like Pandora only let you suggest artists you're interested in, Rdio lets you choose whatever music you want to listen to at any time. Various pricing plans are available depending on how and where you want to listen.
A quick search for "theremin" on Rdio turned up Clara Rockmore's Lost Album and a few other tracks by various artists. Sounds like a hole waiting to be filled with new theremin music to me!
Joining the Rdio Artist Program
The program is open to any artist who has music on Rdio. You can sign up to get your Artist page and join the program at http://www.rdio.com/artistprogram/. Then, add your music to the site start networking with friends and fans via social media services to attract new users to Rdio. Once they sign up and keep an account active for 30 days, you'll get $10 per new user. Program members also get free instant web analytics to track earnings and a complimentary Rdio subscription too.
We'd love to hear from artists who have signed up for Rdio and have tips or suggestions for how to make the most of the program.
Read on for the full press release:
Rdio Introduces New Way for Artists to Make Money from Streaming Music
Artists will earn revenue from online fan engagement through Rdio Artist Program
SAN FRANCISCO, October 2, 2012 – Rdio (www.rdio.com), the digital music service founded by Janus Friis, one of the creators of Skype, today announced the launch of the Rdio Artist Program. This first of a kind program offers a new way for artists to directly earn money from streaming music.
Using Rdio, artists can easily share their own music and their music recommendations with fans. Fans will be able to instantly listen along with their favorite artists directly on the service and via Twitter, Facebook or other online properties. Artists will earn 10 USD for each new subscriber they attract to Rdio through social sharing - effectively rewarding them for fan engagement.
"There is no art without artists," said Rdio's founder Janus Friis. "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."
"All sorts of talented and innovative artists have found an audience for their music online," said Drew Larner, CEO of Rdio, "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."
The Rdio Artist Program is active in all 14 countries where Rdio is available and any artist with an existing artist page is eligible to join. This program complements the licensing deals Rdio already has in place with labels and distributors for access to music on the service, adding an additional direct revenue channel to artists and providing a new element of transparency around the streaming music model.
International recording artists Scissor Sisters, Snoop Dogg aka Snoop Lion, A-Trak, Chromeo and Brendan Benson – already fans of Rdio – are among the first artists to join the program.
"Up-and-coming artists are the future – they're the lifeblood of the industry," said Snoop Dogg. "I love that any new artist can take advantage of this program. I'm a fan of Rdio already and it's cool to see them supporting artists like this."
"I love Rdio. My wife and I use it all the time at home and on tour," said musician Brendan Benson, co-founder of Readymade Records and member of The Raconteurs. "I like that Rdio is giving back to musicians by compensating them directly through the Artist Program. It's really great that they are helping out the people who create music and I look forward to seeing how it evolves."
Participating artists will receive access to a web-based tool to manage their Artist Program account. Benefits include:
10 USD for every new subscriber brought to the service (for at least one month)
Real-time referral stats on visitors and subscribers
Rdio artist page customization options
Tools for trackable link creation and embeddable players for any Rdio music content
Access to tips, help documentation and Rdio support
The Rdio Artist Program represents Rdio's commitment to supporting the artist community and the music industry as a whole. Working together with artists, labels and fans, Rdio strives to create a sustaining and engaging model that benefits everyone involved. For more information and to join the program, visit www.rdio.com/artistprogram
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