We’ve seen some hilarious royalty statements over the years. Actually, it’s only hilarious until it has your name on it.
Remember that massive controversy over streaming mechanical publishing licenses? It all started in late 2015, with class action lawsuits and millions at stake. In the end, streaming platforms like Spotify, Microsoft Groove, Rhapsody, and Google Play Music got with the program and started sending checks to publishers and songwriters for mechanical licenses.
You happy now?
The above statement was sent to Digital Music News by The Rights Workshop. The mechanical rights are for Microsoft Groove during the fourth quarter of 2016, with Music Reports administering and mailing the check.
Actually, once we dug into the statement with The Rights Workshop, we realized this is actually for a very small number of Groove streams. So yeah, the rates are low, but in this case, so are the plays.
But yeah, it’s funny to get a check for $0.01. Especially since the cost of a US postage stamp running at $0.49, not to mention the cost of printing, cutting, and paying someone to mail this thing.
So what does Microsoft Groove pay, anyway?
Actually, the answer is quite a lot, at least last time we checked. That’s when an indie label owner (who will remain anonymous) found a loophole that generated a per-stream windfall. That’s right, we’re talking several dollars per-stream in some cases, thanks to a limited setlist and smaller, Xbox Live audience.
+ How to Make $5 Per Stream on Microsoft Groove In 4 Easy Steps
And for more fun with royalties, check out this streaming music royalty calculator. It’ll help you estimate your earnings from Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Pandora, Deezer, Tidal, and Napster.
Throughout the years I got plenty of those hilarious 0.01 to 0.14 to 1.29 checks right at Christmas time. I went fourteen holidays on empty with rain falling through the ceiling. Along the way I built 250 plus music entertainment and retailer apps and found massive distribution for them. I just had to do something beside dwindling away on disability. I didn’t know what none of it was worth or what I was entitled to as a paycheck ? But things change rapidly in the world of ‘ Digital Music ‘ –aka New Media. And now it’s very safe to say I’m doing 122 Million each and every day ; your friendly neighborhood poet , Literati X . . .
Are you sure that is a genuine check, and not a spoof? Ordinarily, an amount of $******0.01 means 1 cent, not 1/100 of a cent as written at the top left of the ‘check’. Something fishy.