As artists continue to provide livestreams from the comfort of their homes or studios, music streaming services are looking to support musicians monetarily with new initiatives. While streaming can be a point of steady income for artists (noting different platforms’ usage by consumers might be at an all-time high since more people are socially distancing at home), platforms like TIDAL, Spotify, YouTube Music, Pandora, and Bandcamp are rolling out creative initiatives to help artists still make a profit.
Here’s what a few entities are doing to put both the artist and consumer first.
TIDAL
From Latin to R&B, TIDAL launched its “At Home with TIDAL” Livestream Series on Wednesday (March 25) to provide a free experience to streamers. By reaching back into its digital archives, the streaming platform will feature 12-hour daily livestreams of previous performances from Beyonce, Daddy Yankee, Jorja Smith, JAY-Z, H.E.R., Rihanna, Rosalia, Jennifer Lopez, Lizzo, and many more.
Each day will highlight a different genre, beginning with Latin on March 25 and ending on Sunday (March 29) with an R&B lineup.
On March 20, the streaming giant introduced the series by streaming past festivals like the Dreamville Fest, Made In America, and other concerts that featured Alicia Keys, Ari Lennox, Nicki Minaj, Pusha T and more.
TIDAL 🏆 pic.twitter.com/H1sPe0cB6E
— Elliott Wilson (@ElliottWilson) March 25, 2020
Spotify
On Wednesday (March 25), Spotify announced a COVID-19 Music Relief project that’ll support music organizations like PRS Foundation, MusiCares, and Help Musicians to provide a connection to musicians in financial need. According to a statement, “Spotify has engaged partners across the industry to discuss how we can support artists and the creative community who have been deeply impacted by the effects of the virus.”
An outlet to allow artists to set up fundraisers on their Spotify profile page that’ll allow fans to share donations is also being implemented by the streaming service. “This will give artists on Spotify the ability to link out to a verified funding page for themselves, for another artist in need, or for a separate initiative of their choice. (This feature will, of course, be optional for artists to leverage; no changes will be made to profile pages unless the artist chooses to participate, and Spotify will not take a cut of any contributions.)” a statement on the brand’s website reads.
Taking it outside of music organizations, Spotify donated to the CDC Foundation Response Fund and WHO’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund to support medical staff with essentials needed to prevent the spread of the virus, and deliver essential items to those quarantined at home.
YouTube Music
In addition to its donation to the MusiCares Coronavirus Relief Fund, YouTube Music launched a StayHome #WithMe hub where viewers can assemble videos from livestreams and other forms of original content. Those found on the service’s “Jam With Me” playlist already feature J Balvin, Major Lazer and more.
Playlists to ease in a new way of life as thousands work from home or attend classes online was also established by the service.
Bandcamp
Earlier this month, Bandcamp decided to cancel revenue shares for one day to help musicians maintain a source of income since tours and other obligations have been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Tech Crunch, by Bandcamp waiving those shares artists were able to rake in $4.3 million in sales, ultimately allowing musicians and labels to hold onto 100 percent of the revenue to continue musical efforts in this time of social distancing. This included the sale of music and merchandise that accompany’s an artist’s brand.
Triller
Although Triller isn’t a traditional music streaming service, it’s partly responsible for boosting the popularity of certain songs through various dance challenges, similar to Tik Tok. To step into this temporary stage of experiencing music in a new way, Triller will launch a digital music festival titled Co-Trilla Quarantine Sessions. The artist/band lineup will be revealed later this month while a launch date of April 10-12 is in place.
“The Coronavirus has had a significant impact around the world, and we want to do our part to help those in need, while providing a safe environment for people to escape and enjoy some great entertainment,” said Mike Lu, Triller’s CEO, in an email statement. “The Co-Trilla Quarantine Sessions’ are our way of delivering premium entertainment, featuring some of today’s most notable artists, to everyone in the safety of their homes, while giving users an opportunity to help those in need.”
There will also be a donate function for users to share funds for those in need and others battling on the frontlines against COVID-19.