Last week's announcement offering direct royalty payments to unaffiliated indie artists was not altruism as some would have you believe. The laws require that they pay for use. Last.fm was simply circumventing established groups like Merlin that it has failed to come to terms with.
- By making a public offer to musicians it has also unilaterally created a base line for all future negotiations with other rights holders
By speaking out, Merlin has turned successful negotiations with Last.fm a make it or break it issue for the fledgling group; who a year after its inception has yet to complete a single significant deal on behalf of its 12K indie members.
Tell us what you think of Last.fm royalty offer and Merlin's response in two quick Hypebot polls here as well as the comments section.
