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Legendary hip-hop artist Busta Rhymes says it’s time music streaming platforms like Spotify (SPOT) sing a different tune when it comes to paying the creators that power their platforms.
“I don’t think we’ve figured [how to make money in streaming] out yet, unfortunately, in the way that business is being done today,” Rhymes said in a new episode of the Power Players with Brian Sozzi podcast (video above; listen in below). “I’m talking about like us as artists, producers amongst our peers. We’re all facing a very similar frustration with streaming. It’s imperative that they find a way to respect the value of the artist and the artist’s creations.”
Major streaming platforms pool user subscription fees and allocate payouts based on an artist’s share of total plays rather than directly compensating the specific musicians a user listens to.
This system inherently favors megastars and major labels, leaving independent musicians with per-stream payouts of fractions of a cent — typically between $0.003 and $0.005 on Spotify. It often amounts to next to nothing. But even well-established artists like Rhymes struggle with the economics of the model.
Now, Rhymes isn’t just a hip-hop icon railing against the streamers. He’s speaking from the experience of being in the game — and successfully — for decades.
Rhymes’ high-velocity delivery has been well known since he launched from the hip-hop group Leaders of the New School to drop platinum hits like “Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check” and “Pass the Courvoisier.”
Busta Rhymes visits SiriusXM’s Front Row to discuss his project “Dillagence 2” at SiriusXM Studios on Aug. 19, 2026, in New York City. (Gary Gershoff/Getty Images) · Gary Gershoff via Getty Images
He just dropped “Dillagence II,” a massive, collaborative project built on a treasure trove of more than 300 unreleased J Dilla beats.
“Part of the evolution in understanding how to move and shake and continue to resonate is understanding how to make sure you do what you got to do so that people understand not only the value of your music, but the value of you,” Rhymes said. “So that anywhere you go, even outside of music, you’re still able to monetize your IP. That’s important. Owning your IP, being able to monetize your IP, and being able to leverage the evolution and growth of your brand to the point where it is bigger than anything streaming.”
A Spotify spokesperson told Yahoo Finance by email, “Spotify paid out more than $1 million in 2025 for streams of Busta Rhymes’ catalogue.”
Brian Sozzi is Yahoo Finance’s Executive Editor, host of the Power Players with Brian Sozzi podcast, and a member of Yahoo Finance’s editorial leadership team. Follow Sozzi on X @BrianSozzi, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Tips on stories? Email brian.sozzi@yahoofinance.com.
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