Music Business

iTunes Wants To Pay 50% Less Than Pandora For Streaming [REPORT]

image from www.metalinsider.netIt's no secret that iTunes has been in heavy talks with music labels and rightsholders to launch a music streaming service. But beyond speculation that iTunes streaming would look more like Pandora than Spotify, few details of iTunes' proposals have leaked, until today.

iTunes has offered just 6 cents per hundred song plays for an ad supported Pandora-like service, according to reports that surfaced this morning.  That's about half of the 12 cents that Pandora currently pays. Online services like iHeart Radio owned by broadcast radio pay about 22 cents per 100 songs streamed.

So far, the labels have rejected Apple's offer.  “Everyone’s had their initial meetings and everyone is preparing counters,”  a source told the New York Post.

Rich Greenfield, media analyst with BTIG, told The Post, “People spend
two hours a day listening to radio. Google, Apple and Amazon are
fascinated by the opportunity to get into music in a bigger way. Pandora
doesn’t make any real money.”

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