Spotify will now allow artists to upload their own music directly to the site, with no need to have a label or distributor acting as a middleman in order to do so.
The feature is currently in beta mode, and allows artists who own the copyright to their own music to upload tunes directly to Spotify via the service’s creator hub, Spotify for Artists, CNET reports.
The service is already being used by a number of artists, including Chicago rapper Noname and LA-based singer VIAA. Unlike some other services that allow anyone to upload content, musicians are being allowed access to the program by invitation only. Initially, that offering will be to just a few hundred artists in the United States, but the plan is to expand that to more artists in more countries going forward.
Artists who upload their music to the platform can earn money when that music is played, just like all of the other label-represented artists on the platform. Uploading music is free, and artists are free to share their music anywhere else they would like in addition to Spotify. Artists are reportedly being paid 50% of the revenue for each streamed track, slightly lower than what label-represented artists receive on the platform.