A scientific study conducted recently by Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science says that blues, jazz, and heavy metal bands frequently end up being short-changed by streaming services like Apple, Spotify, and Tidal, while only hip-hop and pop artists really benefit from the system’s payment model.
The study was conducted by researchers at Hamburg University and the northern German city’s private Kuehne Logistic University.
In this type of payout, all profits from fees and advertisements are pooled and paid out to the artists on the basis of the share of total tracks.
This also means that users might be paying for music they have not been listening to.
“Because the share of all tracks determines the money paid out, short-song genres profit most, with a segment of users listening who listen longer and for less money,” said Professor Michel Clement, a lecturer at Hamburg University’s Faculty of Business Administration.
Hip-Hop performers were the group that benefited the most.
Study leader Clement explained: “A few genres, especially jazz, blues, and heavy metal, have longer average song times, and are therefore at a disadvantage at pay-out.
“At the same time, pop, hip-hop, and electronic dance music have favorable conditions thanks to shorter song times.”
