Desk

Money

The central problem of this desk is that the creative industries do not publish their prices. Union agreements cover unionised film and television; everything else, which is most of what our readers do, is negotiated privately and separately by people who have been told not to discuss it.

So this desk prints what is genuinely published, names the companies that publish it, and is explicit about the size of the gap.

Everything on the Money desk

Abstract illustration of an unbalanced scale
Money · The transparency problem

We tried to find out what this industry charges. Almost nobody will say.

We went looking for published rates across music PR, music video production and creative freelancing. One agency in the entire sector publishes a starting price on its own website. The silence is not an accident, and it is not neutral.

Weverse platform login with a warning symbol overlaid
Weverse Company president says payment and refund details were among the exposed records — freelancers should audit payments and contracts.

Weverse leak: 422,584 accounts exposed

Weverse reports 422,584 accounts leaked; freelancers using the platform must secure payments, check invoices and contact the operator.

Yoto 4th‑Gen Player showing Green Button and app control
Yoto’s new Green Button and digital‑card push change discovery — the company has published prices and features, but not creator payment terms.

Yoto 4th‑Gen Green Button: what creators need to know

Yoto’s 4th‑gen adds a Green Button and digital cards; prices and dispatch dates are published, but creator rates and licensing terms are not.

Andreea Gleeson named beatBread CEO; Notes.fm payments UI and Stripe logo
A CEO appointment at beatBread and Notes·fm’s Stripe-powered payout product change how advances and platform payouts sit side by side.

beatBread hires Andreea Gleeson; Notes·fm adds Stripe payouts

beatBread names Andreea Gleeson; Notes·fm launches Stripe Financial Accounts and paid distribution — check fees, custody and Connect enrolment.

$1,000

The only published starting price for a music PR campaign we could find anywhere

Cyber PR's own campaigns page states that single campaigns start at $1,000, and that it runs four, six, ten and twelve-week publicity campaigns. Its FAQ also lists a self-directed masterclass at $97.

UMG and ElevenLabs logos overlaid with waveform graphic
Universal calls the agreement licensing plus 'product development'; Kobalt and Merlin previously committed to a 50/50 recording/publishing split for ElevenMusic (checked 11 Sep 2026).

UMG–ElevenLabs deal leaves splits unconfirmed

UMG calls the ElevenLabs tie-up licensing plus product development; Kobalt and Merlin have stated a 50/50 split for ElevenMusic (checked 11 Sep 2026).

$7,300

What the 100,000th highest-earning artist generated on Spotify in 2025

From Spotify's own Loud & Clear data, published March 2026: the artist ranked 100,000th by royalties generated roughly $7,300 across the year, against about $350 in 2015.

Martin Lorentzon, Spotify co-founder and Swedish billionaire
Bloomberg reported Lorentzon’s comment; Bloomberg Billionaires Index places his net worth at more than USD 11 billion (figure checked 11 September 2026).

Martin Lorentzon says he'll leave Sweden if wealth tax is introduced

Spotify co-founder Martin Lorentzon told Bloomberg he'd leave Sweden 'immediately' if a billionaire wealth tax is introduced; his net worth: over USD 11 billion (checked 11 Sep 2026).

Deki Alem press image with album title Forget In Mass and tour dates
Bandcamp shows a sale price, Amuse publishes campaign metrics and a vinyl date, but neither primary page publishes artist payout or revenue‑split details.

Deki Alem — Forget In Mass: Bandcamp price and published terms

Bandcamp lists a 100 SEK+ price for Forget In Mass; Amuse lists a vinyl date and campaign metrics but not payout splits (checked 2026-09-16).

YouTube playback preview and public view count on a creator video page
Public ‘views’ now count from the first frame; Agentio flags large gaps between public views and engaged attention.

YouTube view-count change and creator payments

YouTube counts views from the first frame (YouTube blog, Aug 19, 2026; change effective Aug 24, 2026). Agentio finds public counts overstate engaged attention by 40%.

ElevenLabs and Universal Music announce a joint AI music platform agreement
Joint press release on 10 September 2026 sets out a platform partnership; commercial terms were not published.

UMG–ElevenLabs AI music deal: freelancers' checklist

Joint UMG–ElevenLabs press release (10 Sep 2026) announced a multi‑year AI music partnership; here’s what freelancers must contract for.

Abstract illustration of stacked entry tickets
Awards & entry

What a year of entering things actually costs

Eight routes to being seen, priced from zero to £120 a category. Entering the same video into four awards and three outlets comes to several hundred pounds before anyone has watched it.

Abstract illustration of a pipeline with a diverted branch
Distribution

The annual fee is the advertisement. The clauses are the business.

Five distributors within about ten dollars a year of each other, and terms underneath that differ by an order of magnitude for anyone whose music travels through other people's videos.

Ticketmaster and Meta Muse partnership announcement
The connector surfaces shows, seats and prices inside Muse, then hands buyers off to Ticketmaster; neither firm has published any change to ticketing fees or payout terms.

Ticketmaster joins Meta’s Muse as a live‑event connector

Ticketmaster is a Muse connector that shows seating and prices in‑agent and redirects purchases to Ticketmaster. No published changes to fees, splits or agent purchasing yet.

Festival crowd under lights with Superstruct name referenced in the press release
A public rulebook that fixes two red lines — safety and illegal speech — across Superstruct’s global festival portfolio.

Superstruct Artistic Code: what it changes for festival terms

Superstruct’s Artistic Code fixes safety and illegality as red lines across 80+ brands, a public policy that will influence interruptions, cancellations and contract enforcement.

Money

What paid submission platforms charge

SubmitHub and Groover, with the response guarantees that are actually written down.

Money

What Spotify publishes about payouts

The Loud & Clear figures, and the three things they do not mean.

Money

The size of the market you are competing in

Global revenue, and the two Luminate figures that explain why promotion costs what it does.

Jared Benjamin performing live with acoustic guitar on stage
How Jared converted short‑form virality into owned fans, paid shows and a DIY team.

Jared Benjamin — 1.2M Monthly Listeners, Independent Playbook

Ari Herstand’s interview and industry snapshots show Jared built 1.2M Spotify listeners, 100M+ streams and sold‑out UK dates by prioritising Discord, Feature.fm pre‑saves and daily short videos.

Andreas Schuller; practical songwriting business checklist
Practical, source‑backed steps for songwriters on rights, splits, publishing and building the relationships that lead to placements.

Andreas Schuller: How to Be a Professional Hit Songwriter

Andreas Schuller breaks down song creation, publishing basics, and the business actions writers must take to get paid and placed.