{"id":88908,"date":"2021-11-18T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-18T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/?p=88908"},"modified":"2021-11-18T15:31:06","modified_gmt":"2021-11-18T15:31:06","slug":"tidal-ucps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/tidal-ucps\/","title":{"rendered":"TIDAL implement a UCPS to their higher-end streaming tier"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Image Credit: TIDAL<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

TIDAL brings a User Centric Payment System to their music streaming service, but as per usual with UCPSs, there\u2019s a catch.<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned in our previous article,<\/a> TIDAL have switched up their subscription tiers, now offering CD quality audio to $9.99 per month HiFi<\/strong> subscribers and full resolution audio up to 9216 kbps (24-bit\/192 kHz) to $19.99 per month HiFi Plus<\/strong> subscribers. All great news for streamers, though not quite up to the standards of Apple Music and Amazon Music. While higher resolution audio will be the biggest difference for listeners, the most interesting differences for artists whose music is streamed via HiFi Plus<\/strong> is Direct Artist Payouts<\/strong> and Fan-Centered Royalties<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Direct Artist Payouts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

“Up to 10% of your subscription is directed to the artists you listen to the most”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Direct Artist Payouts gives artists access to another payment stream. TIDAL says up to 10% of your monthly subscription is directed to your most streamed artist, while a new activity feed shows exactly where your money goes. An interesting idea we haven’t seen from any other major streaming service, where artists will benefit directly from their biggest fans. We’re not really sure what the “up to” means and could be a red flag, but 10% of the $19.99 HiFi Plus<\/strong> tier is roughly $2, which is sure to add up from artists with many loyal fans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fan-Centered Royalties<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

“The artists you stream get paid based on your streaming habits”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming in January 2022, Fan-Centered Royalties, otherwise known as a UCPS (User Centric Payment System),<\/a> means royalties aren’t aggregated by the streaming service. Instead, royalties from your subscription fee go to the artists that you stream the most. This way, fans directly support the artists they love. Once again, the activity feed will shows where your money goes. TIDAL claims “artists will see significantly higher per-play-rate than the standard rate of other streaming services”. While this statement can’t be true for all artists, a UCPS is thought to benefit the smaller artists with dedicated fans. TIDAL shared the infographic below that attempts to show how a UCPS works, but it really doesn’t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A post shared by TIDAL (@tidal)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>