And radio stations could play the record
Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2025 4:52 am
How musicians were paid for recordings
At first, recordings brought little revenue to musicians, especially black ones, even though they redefined entire genres, such as jazz. Their compositions were sold by labels in a separate "racial" category.
Black performers received only a fixed fee—no royalties—and the rights to the song and recording belonged entirely to the labels. One of the few exceptions was Bessie Smith's compositions.
The singer received a total of $20,000. One of her singles, Downhearted czech republic number data Blues, sold 780,000 copies in 1923 and brought Columbia Records $156,000.
Labels also didn't pay hillbilly musicians. Poor southerners, producer Ralph Banket believed, were so happy to work that they were willing to record for pennies. He deliberately didn't tell musicians how much profit they made, so as not to deprive them of the incentive to work harder.
on the air and not pay the label or the artist for it. Only composers and music publishers received royalties.
In the 2010s, streaming services changed the industry. Some artists believe that they are not being paid extra, while others believe that, on the contrary, thanks to streaming, they can expand their audience and then earn money on tours.
And thanks to free access to music, listeners have stopped considering themselves fans of one genre: now they like dozens of styles, and they are unlikely to judge others based on their musical taste.
At first, recordings brought little revenue to musicians, especially black ones, even though they redefined entire genres, such as jazz. Their compositions were sold by labels in a separate "racial" category.
Black performers received only a fixed fee—no royalties—and the rights to the song and recording belonged entirely to the labels. One of the few exceptions was Bessie Smith's compositions.
The singer received a total of $20,000. One of her singles, Downhearted czech republic number data Blues, sold 780,000 copies in 1923 and brought Columbia Records $156,000.
Labels also didn't pay hillbilly musicians. Poor southerners, producer Ralph Banket believed, were so happy to work that they were willing to record for pennies. He deliberately didn't tell musicians how much profit they made, so as not to deprive them of the incentive to work harder.
on the air and not pay the label or the artist for it. Only composers and music publishers received royalties.
In the 2010s, streaming services changed the industry. Some artists believe that they are not being paid extra, while others believe that, on the contrary, thanks to streaming, they can expand their audience and then earn money on tours.
And thanks to free access to music, listeners have stopped considering themselves fans of one genre: now they like dozens of styles, and they are unlikely to judge others based on their musical taste.