How Universal Music Group and Spotify Rewrote the Rules—At the Expense of Indie Artists
In late 2023, Spotify’s new royalty policy requires tracks to hit 1,000 annual streams to earn royalties, favoring major labels like Universal Music Group (UMG) over independent artists. This shift compromises fair compensation, promoting profit over equity and sidelining emerging musicians, while decentralized platforms offer potential for fairer artist rewards.