#TheWeeklyRoundUp - 03.03.23

Tidal Ends Direct Artist Payouts Program One Month After Unveiling Universal Music Group Streaming Partnership (digital music news)

Back in November of 2021, Tidal launched direct-to-artist payments as one component of a far-reaching update. Now, weeks after partnering with Universal Music Group to develop a “new economic model for music streaming,” the Block-owned platform has officially ended the Direct Artist Payouts (DAP) program.

Tidal CEO (and longtime Square hardware lead) Jesse Dorogusker revealed the formal conclusion of the streaming service’s Direct Artist Payouts program via a series of recently published social media posts. Under the model – which Tidal announced alongside an ad-supported tier and more – “a percentage of HiFi Plus subscribers’ membership fees” made their way to the appropriate listeners’ “top streamed artist” each month.

However, Tidal had been making these payments on top of actual streaming royalties – a contrast to the “fan-powered” remuneration offered by SoundCloud. Since March of 2021, the latter service has compensated artists as a percentage of “each listener’s subscription or advertising revenue.”

But Spotify and other leading streaming platforms continue to “pool” ad revenue and pay royalties as a portion of total plays. Of course, the average per-stream royalty rate is inconsequential owing in part to the ever-growing amount of music on streaming services, which, with the exception of Spotify and Tidal, are beginning to raise the monthly cost of individual plans in the States.

In any event, Tidal has wrapped its DAP program after enrolling approximately 70,000 artists and distributing around $500,000, according to Dorogusker.

“With DAP, we pay artists directly (beyond royalties) in a fun way that connects fans’ listening to their top artists’ pay,” penned the former Apple exec Dorogusker. “We enrolled 70K artists & distributed $500K, far short of our goal. We’ve decided to end DAP and do something w/ higher impact.

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Jazz innovator Wayne Shorter dies at 89 (news 24)

Wayne Shorter, the storied saxophonist considered one of America's greatest jazz composers and among the genre's leading risk-takers, died on Thursday in Los Angeles. He was 89.

Shorter's publicist Alisse Kingsley confirmed his death to AFP, without specifying the cause.

The enigmatic jazz elder performed with fellow legend Miles Davis and went on to become a leading bandleader on both soprano and tenor sax, including with his group Weather Report.

He was one of the last living jazz greats to have cut his teeth in the genre's 1950s heyday when it was both the soundtrack at dance halls and gained ground in intellectual circles.

He won 12 competitive Grammys over his long career, the last of which came just last month, as well as a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy.

Tributes quickly poured in, with keyboardist Herbie Hancock - one of Shorter's best friends and regular collaborators - calling him "irreplaceable".

"I miss being around him and his special Wayne-isms but I carry his spirit within my heart always," Hancock said in a statement released by Shorter's publicist.

Trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis hailed Shorter as a "giant of saxophone regardless of register" and a "jazz messenger," while jazzman Jon Batiste chimed in: "Truly one of one."