YouTube Music Head Claims They Pay More Royalties Than Other Services

When it comes to royalties being paid for music streaming, it is a bit of a contentious issue as many artists have in the past taken issue with how they are being paid, like back when Apple Music originally did not plan to pay artists royalties during the free trial (they later changed their minds).

However in a recent post penned by YouTube Music’s head Lyor Cohen, it seems that the company is priding itself in the fact that they pay more royalties per stream compared to the competition. “At over $3 per thousand streams in the U.S., YouTube is paying out more than other ad supported services.”

Cohen’s statement is in response to the claims that YouTube isn’t paying as much as the competition, which he admits that it was also his understanding and belief before he joined the company and led their music efforts. “For instance, critics complain YouTube isn’t paying enough money for ad-supported streams compared to Spotify or Pandora. I was one of them! Then I got here and looked at the numbers myself.”

That being said, YouTube Music’s availability is still relatively limited unlike other streaming services that have expanded globally rather quickly. The service is based on a subscription which is similar to others at $9.99 a month.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Audio, General
Tags: Entertainment, Music, YouTube