Hacker News Reader

The communication on this could be better. I feel like I’ve heard that artists often get pretty much nothing.

At some point, being more honest about what artists get paid will probably help the middlemen more than harm them.

Basically, yeah. A company like Spotify pays fractions of a cent per stream. If you're not a Taylor Swift, residuals are essentially a rounding error. Going to tours, concerts, or signings makes the artist far more money. We've reached a point where Spotify has become nothing more than a well-disguised advertising platform for concerts.

Ok cool, can I cherry pick now? TV actors in expansive TV series' with residuals in their contract. It can be a significant part of their income.

If residuals are too good, they just pull your show from distribution (see: Westworld via HBO).