Take Back the Music – with Platform Co-ops

Summary

At least since Taylor Swift pulled her music off Spotify in 2014, entrepreneurs have been working on a new generation of music streaming services that compensate artists fairly. An interview with Resonate founder Peter Harris, who is determined to make the music industry more transparent, fair, and inclusive.

Francesca Pick: “Get paid for every play” is one of the mottos of Resonate. What is this project about?

Peter Harris: If Spotify was a cooperative, that would be Resonate — built and owned by the people that use it. We’ve developed a new listing model called “stream to own,” which aims to solve a lot of the problems around unfair compensation for artists.

What makes Resonate different from other music streaming services?

First, that everyone owns it. It isn’t like entertainment platform Tidal, where only a small number of super-rich rock stars can call themselves owners. This is about everyone — musicians, indie labels, fans, and the people who work and volunteer to make this happen share in decisions and profits, alike.