Last.fm - Good News And Bad News

Last.fm is now delivering streaming royalties to artists not affiliated with a label or collecting society, according to details shared Wednesday. The music-focused social networking destination, owned by CBS Corporation, is now inviting artists to register to receive royalties from their online streaming activity.

The Artist Royalty Program is allocating per-stream payouts on par with signed and society-affiliated artists, according to the company. "This is a big day for independent artists," heralded Last.fm cofounder Martin Stiksel. "The young musician making music in a bedroom studio has the same chance as the latest major label signing to use Last.fm to build an audience and get rewarded."

Last.fm may be broadening streaming royalty payments to unsigned and independent artists, though not everyone is so thrilled by the plan. Merlin, a group dedicated to equalizing digital royalties and licensing opportunities for independents, issued an urgent bulletin to its 12,000-plus label members immediately following the Last.fm disclosure on Wednesday.

Among the issues, Merlin noted that Last.fm does not address earlier, unauthorized uses of independent artist content. "It is unclear to us whether or not the terms and conditions of the program are intended to prevent master owners pursuing such compensation," the notice declared.

Merlin also seemed ruffled that Last.fm did not adopt its plan to implement a blanket licensing scheme, though negotiations between the parties had been ongoing. "Unfortunately, these negotiations have stalled, in particular due to Last.fm's unwillingness to properly address its illegal infringing activity," the group asserted.

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