Has Deezer changed its royalty model or payout rates after 2023 licensing deals?
Executive summary
Deezer introduced a new “artist‑centric” royalty model in 2023 that was rolled out first in France and expanded thereafter; the change was designed to boost payouts to professional artists (Deezer and UMG said it would lift payouts to professional artists by about 10% and apply boosted weights for actively‑searched streams) [1] [2]. Major and indie rightsholders subsequently signed on (WMG, Merlin, SACEM) and Deezer continued to describe the system as its Artist Centric Payment System (ACPS) in 2024–2025 reporting [3] [4] [5] [6].
1. What changed in 2023: a switch toward “artist‑centric” payouts
In September 2023 Deezer and Universal Music announced a license that reweights how streams count for royalties: streams actively sought by listeners get extra weight and the deal was explicitly billed as an “artist‑centric” model intended to shift money toward professional artists, with an expected uplift of about 10% for those artists and an initial launch in France in Q4 2023 [1] [2] [7].
2. Mechanisms: caps, boosts and demonetisation of “noise” content
Reporting and Deezer’s communications describe several concrete mechanics: a “double boost” for streams that show active engagement (e.g., search/listen), a cap designed to limit one user’s ability to siphon royalty pool via mass plays, and the removal or demonetisation of non‑artist/ambient “noise” content (Deezer said it would replace such content with in‑house sounds which it would not monetize) [2] [7] [8].
3. Who signed on after 2023 — and where it applied
Following the UMG deal, Warner Music Group publicly signed up to Deezer’s artist‑centric approach in France, and Deezer later integrated Merlin/indie collective and SACEM into aspects of the model—showing the change moved beyond a single bilateral deal to agreements with multiple rightsholders in France and broader roll‑out plans for 2024 and beyond [3] [9] [6].
4. Financial and product signals that Deezer kept the model
Deezer’s own investor and earnings communications framed the ACPS as a major 2023 milestone and cited it in FY23 and Q1 2024 messaging; the company reported revenue and ARPU gains in 2024 and said the artist‑centric model had been “introduced” in 2023 [5] [4] [10]. Deezer also reported removing millions of non‑music tracks as part of the initiative [11].
5. Did per‑stream payout rates change across the board?
Available sources describe structural changes to allocation (weights, caps, demonetisation), not a single universal per‑stream dollar figure mandated by Deezer. Independent estimates of Deezer’s “per‑stream” numbers vary across outlets and years (examples: ~$0.006–$0.007 per stream cited by multiple aggregators), but those are external calculators and not Deezer’s stated global fixed rate; Deezer’s public messaging emphasizes distribution methodology rather than announcing a single uniform per‑stream price [12] [13] [14] [15]. Available sources do not state that Deezer published a single new global per‑stream payout rate after the 2023 deals (not found in current reporting).
6. Winners and losers — industry and creator reaction
Coverage shows two competing viewpoints. Deezer and major rightsholders present the change as fairer to artists who generate genuine engagement [5] [1]. Critics in the creator community and some commentary call the model a “reverse Robin Hood” that risks favoring major labels and superstar acts while disadvantaging smaller creators who don’t meet thresholds or lose out where streams are reclassified as non‑artist [6]. Music Business Worldwide and other trade outlets warned about unintended consequences and that the finite royalty pool still gets redistributed rather than expanded [7] [9].
7. Geographic limits and gradual rollout matter
The model launched in France in late 2023 and Deezer planned wider roll‑out into other markets through 2024; rightsholder sign‑ups (WMG, Merlin, SACEM) initially focused on France with later integration steps for publishing and indie licensing discussed into 2024–2025 [7] [3] [6] [16]. That means artists’ outcomes depend on where their plays occur and which rights bodies in that market have adopted ACPS [3] [6].
8. What to watch next (and limits of reporting)
Watch for precise contractual terms and market‑by‑market rollouts: sources show industry sign‑ups and Deezer’s corporate claims, but they do not publish a single standardized global per‑stream payout or a universal list of thresholds for all markets [5] [4]. Also monitor whether other platforms adopt similar schemes or whether Deezer’s revenue changes materially shift the overall royalty pool — those developments are discussed in trade analysis but full impacts on individual artist income remain contested [9] [17].
Bottom line: Deezer did change how royalties are allocated after its 2023 deals — implementing an artist‑centric allocation with boosts, caps and demonetisation of non‑artist audio and securing additional label and collection society buy‑ins — but there is no single new published global per‑stream payout number in the provided reporting; outcomes vary by market, rights holder participation and an artist’s engagement metrics [1] [2] [3] [6].