Deezer and UMU to launch 'artist-centric' streaming model
BBC By Paul Glynn
Entertainment reporter
Universal Music Group and Deezer are to jointly launch a music streaming model aimed at generating bigger royalties for artists.
It will mean artists will be paid more if users actively choose to listen to their music, rather than doing so because a song auto-plays.
Songs which appear in algorithmic playlists will also generate less money than those selected by users.
Deezer will launch the model in France later this year.
The move could have a significant impact on the music industry, particularly if major streaming services such as Spotify or Apple Music adjust their own models.
The collaboration is designed to "better reward the artists, and the music that fans value the most", Deezer and Universai said in a joint statement on Wednesday.
It is a response to over-saturated current music streaming model, which they said "needs to be re-imagined" to encourage "meaningful engagement" between listeners and artists.
