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>if you spend $0, the artist gets nothing, right?

not necessarily. I'm quite happy to be shown ads while I stream that generate revenue for the artist.

The share that the artist gets doesn't change just because it's ad revenue. You simply pay less and the artist gets less.

Unless you do what I do, which is mail a check directly to the artist.

I'm not even kidding. Nothing is stopping you from writing a $50 check and sending it as a donation.

I buy at least $30 of music each month from iTunes. Finding the addresses of these artists, writing a check and sending it their way would be more hassle than I care to go through.

If the artists don't like the deal that labels are giving them, they don't have to take it. They can build their own fan base, learn marketing, get exposure and sell their own stuff through iTunes and other places. A lot of artists are opting to do just that.

Right. Cause you're totally just staring at the screen that is playing the music, not at all doing something else while the music plays.

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