Apple Music bumps up royalty rate for Spatial Audio tracks
Apple launched Spatial Audio back in June 2018, and it looks like the format has been cheerfully embraced by both artists and listeners. According to Apple, more than 90 percent of Apple Music listeners have decided to go for Spatial Audio track instead of the standard format.
More importantly, the number of Spatial Audio tracks increased since launch by 5,000 percent and nearly doubled over the last year. However, that doesn’t seem to be enough for Apple to be satisfied by the amount of Spatial Audio content it now offers to Apple Music subscribers.
As such, the Cupertino-based company has decided to increase the royalty rate for Spatial Audio tracks by up to 10 percent. In a letter sent to its partners early this week, confirmed that starting in January, music available in Spatial Audio will receive a royalty rate up to 10 percent higher than standard content, Billboard reports.
So, if there are any artists that thought to make a quick buck by taking music files and processing them through a software app to list them as Spatial Audio tracks, here is Apple saying that that’s not going to happen.
More importantly, the number of Spatial Audio tracks increased since launch by 5,000 percent and nearly doubled over the last year. However, that doesn’t seem to be enough for Apple to be satisfied by the amount of Spatial Audio content it now offers to Apple Music subscribers.
Pro-rata shares for Spatial Available plays will be calculated using a factor of 1.1 while Non-Spatial available plays will continue to use a factor of 1. This change is not only meant to reward higher quality content, but also to ensure that artists are being compensated for the time and investment they put into mixing in Spatial.
Furthermore, Apple warns that its music streaming service has a “quality control process that includes flagging content not delivered in accordance with Apple Music’s Spatial Audio specifications and standards of quality.”
So, if there are any artists that thought to make a quick buck by taking music files and processing them through a software app to list them as Spatial Audio tracks, here is Apple saying that that’s not going to happen.
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