Deezer’s latest partnership transforms publishing rights for songwriters and combats streaming fraud.

Deezer, a global music experience platform, is reshaping how royalties are distributed. In an industry-first move, Deezer has teamed up with Sacem, the French leader in collective rights management, to apply its Artist Centric Payment System (ACPS) to publishing rights. This partnership redefines how songwriters and publishers are compensated in the streaming era.

Both parties aim to combat fraudulent streaming activities, safeguarding the integrity of the music industry while fostering a system that better reflects authentic listener preferences.

“Our model ensures that a higher share of what subscribers pay goes to the artists they love, while also counteracting fraudulent streaming behavior. Through this partnership, we are pleased to offer these key benefits to songwriters, composers, and publishers represented by Sacem.”

Alexis Lanternier, CEO of Deezer

What is Deezer’s Artist Centric Payment System

Deezer’s ACPS debuted in 2023, initially targeting royalties for recordings. This model aims to reward “true music” genuine artistry through a more equitable revenue-sharing process, while minimising fraudulent activities. 

This ‘artist-centric’ system was thought up by Universal Music’s Lucian Grainge, in a bid towards the next era of Streaming 2.0. Deezer’s latest extension applies to publishing rights in France, marking a pivotal shift in the industry.

Key features of Deezer’s artist-centric model include:

  • User-centric cap: Limits a single user’s impact on royalty splits to reduce artificial plays.
  • Boosting real artists: Tracks with at least 1,000 streams from 500 unique subscribers each month get their royalty boosted by two. This also applies to songs that are actively searched for, rewarding artists with active, engaged audiences.
  • Excluding noise: Functional sounds and tracks with noise are excluded from royalty calculations, replaced by Deezer’s catalogue.
  • Catalogue cleaning: Removal of fraudulent or inactive content that hasn’t been listened to in 12 months.

What this means for artists and songwriters

Many of these initiatives signal a positive step for artists aiming to build loyal fanbases, a better user experience for fans, as well as tackling fraudulent streaming. However, songwriters – especially those who are not also the recording artist – may face challenges given that they have little or no control over any activity that could drive fan engagement to recordings of their songs.

Here’s the breakdown of things to consider:

  • Fairer distribution for creators with authentic fan engagement.
  • However, superfan-heavy artists may find their revenue capped unfairly.
  • But, it does target a reduction in fraudulent activities that distort royalty pools.
  • Reduced revenue or removal for tracks with low engagement.
  • Reduced revenue or removal for cover versions adversely affect songwriters with the publishing rights.

Critics have labelled these changes as a “reverse Robin Hood”, as they disproportionately benefit industry superstars and big catalogue holders, such as Universal Music. While intended to enhance fairer remuneration, the model risks sidelining smaller creators.

Industry implications

Streaming reforms may be necessary to tackle industry issues, with this partnership aiming to reduce streaming fraud while prioritising real artistry. However, as with any industry reform, balancing fairness for all stakeholders is complex. 

While Deezer’s and Sacem’s reforms may be well-intentioned, it also raises critical questions about fairness for all creators.