Non-financial Benefits of Music Streaming Platforms: What Artists Need to Know

Musicians need to get paid. Which is why most of the conversations around streaming platforms focus on how much (or how little) goes to artists. But there is a lot more, beyond the basic economics of music streaming, that artists need to know about the benefits on offer from each of the major streaming platforms.

"While most conversations about streaming focus on payouts, artists gain a lot more than just per-stream revenue depending on the platform,” says Charles Gadsdon, chief growth officer at IMAGINE and author of the forthcoming book ‘Bing Bong: The Ultimate Guide to Leveraging Music for Effective Brand Marketing’.

The major streaming platform holders themselves are starting to put more effort and resources into marketing the various non-financial benefits on offer to artists. See, for example, this recent sponsored content piece over on MusicAlly, promoting '3 Powers Only Apple Music for Artists Gives Artists to Maximize a Song’s Impact'.

That piece, paid for by Apple, outlines the latest play of one of the major streamers to highlight its artist-first credentials, as follows: “When it comes to releasing a new song, the ability to monitor how it’s connecting with fans and take actions to deepen these connections is key. And the best platform for this right now is Apple Music for Artists, which empowers artists and their teams with industry-leading insights and tools to reach fans worldwide, old and new.”

It goes on to highlight Apple Music for Artists’exclusive features that allow artists to track all Shazam activity for their music in one place; to monitor radio plays worldwide for free across over 40,000 terrestrial and digital stations; and to use its Set Lists tool to create and customise their own Set List playlist for each live show, “giving their fans a place on Apple Music where they can stream their set list before the show, and relive it after it’s over.”

Comparing and contrasting streamers’ non-financial benefits for artists

“These non-financial benefits for artists that are on offer from Apple Music for Artists are super cool and will hopefully push the competition to up their game,” comments Charles “developing new features and offerings to help musicians distribute and promote their music in new and exciting ways. But it’s important that artists understand what all the other streaming platforms – Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz, Amazon Music, and Deezer – are able to offer them, beyond the basic payout-per-stream economics.

“To summarise, Spotify leads on scale, discovery tools, and data insights, though is often criticised for low payouts,” says Charles. “Tidal offers one of the highest per-stream rates and direct-to-artist payments, positioning itself as artist-first. Qobuz caters to audiophiles with hi-res audio, rich editorial, and transparent royalties. Amazon Music taps into its wider ecosystem via Alexa and Twitch, offering solid backend tools but less cultural cachet. Deezer stands out with user-centric payout models and strong local curation.”

To recap and remind artists what they need to know, below is a brief compare-and-contrast piece highlighting the main non-financial benefits of streaming services for musicians.

• Spotify – strengths in playlisting and audience analytics (Fan Study, Marquee), plus reach. Spotify for Artists offers musicians a comprehensive dashboard for real-time data, audience demographics, playlist adds, and pitch tools. Featured artists include Anitta, Fana Hues, Lizzy McAlpine, Conner Smith, and Megan Moroney.
• Apple Music – Apple Music for Artists, featuring Shazam integration, worldwide radio plays monitoring, new Set List tool. Featured artists on the website include Nile Rodgers, Take A Daytrip, and CANDYMAN.
• TIDAL – higher per-stream rates, artist ownership model, direct-to-artist payments. TIDAL for Artists gives musicians direct control over profiles, analytics, and fan insights. Tidal also has its recently relaunched TIDAL RISING program, which has featured musicians like 21 Savage, Megan Thee Stallion, Angie Rose, and others in its cohorts.
• Qobuz – best known for sound quality and editorial curation, very artist- and audiophile-friendly. Qobuz is also leading the way when it comes to working directly with smaller labels.
• Amazon Music – strong backend tools and ecosystem access (specifically, in terms of offering Alexa voice exposure). Amazon Music for Artists gives musicians an analytics dashboard with global reach, including Alexa data. Featured artists included in Amazon’s "Breakthrough UK" and "Artists To Watch" playlists, have included French The Kid, Gracey, Anish Kumar, Caity Baser, Dylan, and FLO.
• Deezer – experimenting with user-centric payout models, plus localised editorial. Deezer for Creators offers musicians insights into performance, demographics, and playlist activity. Featured artists have included Matalo, Agustin Amigo, Zokie, and Paula Dima.

“As you can see, each of the major six music streaming platforms offers artists and musicians distinct value,” explains Charles. “And understanding how those nuances can work in your favour as an artist can often be just as important as chasing streams.

“Perhaps the main takeout for musicians – whether you are just starting out or already have a well-established fanbase – is that putting your music on the streamers is really just the first step. The hard yards are in what you do to increase the engagement with your fans and your potential fans, by using the wide array of tools outlined above on offer from each platform to your advantage.”

Read more from IMAGINE here.