Rdio to pay artists for each subscribing fan

Rdio to pay artists for each subscribing fan
Snoop Lion, dropping it like it's hot as usual

Music streaming service Rdio has announced a new money-spinning programme for artists to make a bit more cash from their tunes.

It's basically an affiliate programme; Rdio is going to pay artists $10 (around £6 and AU$9.70) for every new subscriber they bring to the streaming service (as long as they subscribe for at least one month).

As well as the affiliate income, artists still get paid every time someone streams one of their tracks; but unlike the streaming income, the affiliate fee goes directly to artists. The scheme is running in all countries where Rdio has launched, including the UK, Australia and US.

The streaming site is hoping that this will encourage bands to take to their social networks and websites and push Rdio as a result.

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Some artists are already on board, including the artist formerly known as Snoop Dogg and is now only to be referred to as Snoop Lion. He took some time out of his busy reggae-recording and football-failing schedule to offer the scheme some support.

Lion told Rdio, "Up-and-coming artists are the future – they're the lifeblood of the industry.

"I love that any new artist can take advantage of this program. I'm a fan of Rdio already and it's cool to see them supporting artists like this."

Of course, in the interest of fairness, we're obliged to point out that Snoop is also on Spotify.

News Editor (UK)

Former UK News Editor for TechRadar, it was a perpetual challenge among the TechRadar staff to send Kate (Twitter, Google+) a link to something interesting on the internet that she hasn't already seen. As TechRadar's News Editor (UK), she was constantly on the hunt for top news and intriguing stories to feed your gadget lust. Kate now enjoys life as a renowned music critic – her words can be found in the i Paper, Guardian, GQ, Metro, Evening Standard and Time Out, and she's also the author of 'Amy Winehouse', a biography of the soul star.