
Create Digital Music has a nice, quick rundown of last.fm’s Artist Royalty Program (ARP).
Previously, the system for the artist was to go get a label, and then get that label to collect royalties on the recording. The label, in turn, had to go to SoundExchange, formerly part of the RIAA but now an independent organization, to get the money. Result: fees get set by a board of judges chosen by the Copyright Office (the Copyright Royalty Board), and you’ve got multiple middle … men, actually.
Under the ARP, you go to Last.fm, and Last.fm pays you. You upload the music where you want it to go.
Okay, it seems fairly simple, but as you can see from reader comments, there are still plenty of unanswered questions. None of them address why David Hasselhoff’s discog just isn’t catching on in the U.S.