Streaming hardly ever gets artists paid. Here's how to support musicians you love.

Supporting Musicians: Beyond Streaming - How to Make Your Dollars Count

The music industry's complexity is often underestimated. Ideally, it's a straightforward exchange: artists create (music, shows, merchandise), fans buy. Reality, however, involves managers, labels, distributors, streaming services, and numerous copyright holders. This raises questions: when you buy a concert ticket, how much reaches the artist? How can you maximize their earnings?

The answer is nuanced, varying greatly depending on individual artist contracts. But as a fan, you wield significant power to ensure your spending directly benefits your favorite musicians.

Beyond Streaming: Direct Support Strategies

Streaming rarely makes artists wealthy. Per-stream payouts can be as low as $0.0011, even for popular artists, with the average hovering around 16%. Therefore, offline support is crucial.

1. Attend Shows & Buy Merch: Live performances and merchandise sales are major income sources for artists. Purchase merch directly from official websites or concert venues to minimize intermediaries and maximize artist profits. This advice comes from Corey Crossfield of Evoke Music Management and Michael Sherman, co-founder of 22TWENTY and director of business development at Feature.fm.

2. Engage Directly Through Preferred Platforms: Utilize artists' preferred social media (Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Facebook, mailing lists) for direct interaction and support. This ensures purchases directly benefit the artist, as explained by Sherman. Bandcamp is another excellent option for purchasing physical items or music directly, bypassing many distributors.

3. Share Your Contact Information: Providing your email and phone number allows artists to bypass algorithmic social media limitations and communicate directly about upcoming projects and events, saving them significant promotional costs. Signing up for official mailing lists on artist websites is highly recommended.

4. Become a Patron: Platforms like Patreon, Kickstarter, and Spotify's tip jars offer direct financial support, often with exclusive rewards. While artist participation isn't universal, this method is gaining popularity, particularly as the industry landscape shifts.

In essence, passionate fandom extends beyond listening. By actively supporting artists through these methods, you ensure your love of music translates into tangible, meaningful support for the creators you admire.

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