Music

Russ Reveals He Makes Nearly $100K A Week From Streaming As He Calls For Artists To Own Their Music

Getty Image The rapper wants there to be more transparency in the music industry. …

Artist royalties have been at the forefront of the conversation about fair pay in recent months after several musicians aired grievances about their labels. Migos recently sued their lawyer after alleging they had been cheated out of millions in royalties and indie label Tiny Engines underwent a reckoning when several artists on their roster claimed they hadn’t been paid. Because of the discrepancy in payouts, many musicians are calling for clarity in the music industry — and Atlanta rapper Russ is no different.

In a move to prioritize transparency, Russ took to Twitter to share receipts that show how much he makes in a week from streaming services alone. The rapper shared results from two separate weeks, and it looks like he’s nearing $100,000 on average. Russ also called for artists to be aware that owning their own music is the first step to seeing a major payout from streaming revenue. “artists : own your music and stop letting these labels take 15% distribution fees for pressing an upload button,” he wrote.

some weekly checks on tunecore..inspo purposes only
artists : own your music and stop letting these labels take 15% distribution fees for pressing an upload button pic.twitter.com/eQHRRtXLdO
— RUSS (@russdiemon) November 9, 2020

Of course, not every artist is able to make six figures a week on streaming alone. Russ’ lesson on music ownership arrives when talk of streaming payout are also coming to a head. Spotify, which is oftentimes cited as the service which pays smaller artists the least amount per stream, recently announced they would be adding a new feature to their platform. The service will allow artists to promote their music in listeners’ algorithms — only if they agree to forfeit a percentage of their royalties.

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Celebrity

Lil Durk Co Defendants OTF Dede and David Lindsey Seek Acquittal and New Trial

OTF Dede and David Lindsey are fighting their recent stalking convictions as the legal process in Lil Durk’s case continues to play out.

Lil Durk was facing five charges, two of them murder-for-hire related and three of them stalking related, while the two co-defendants were convicted on three counts of stalking in the same case. Durk was just cleared of all charges in that case a couple of weeks ago, but Dede and Lindsey didn’t get the same result.

The latest legal twist adds another chapter to a case that has remained tightly connected to Lil Durk’s ongoing legal troubles. Durk was acquitted in the initial murder-for-hire case, but his larger legal battle is far from over.

For Dede and Lindsey, the immediate issue is their stalking convictions and whether the court will grant either of the new requests filed. The couple’s pleas carry long prison sentences, and the pending motions are especially important for their attorneys.
The court has not ruled on the Rule 29 and Rule 33 motions, leaving the next phase of litigation uncertain.

Lil Durk, meanwhile, is set to appear in court on November 4 for a bond hearing. His trial in the VICAR case was scheduled for the next few weeks, but it is likely to be delayed.

Separate legal proceedings are now moving forward in the cases of Durk, Dede, and Lindsey, who remain active. Dede and Lindsey’s latest filings ensure that the group’s legal saga continues even after Durk’s acquittal in the original case.

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Celebrity

Meek Mill steps back from his ongoing feud with DJ Akademiks,

Meek Mill and DJ Akademiks’ ongoing social media beef has taken another turn, with Meek seemingly getting the last word.

The two have been feuding for around a decade, and their tensions have become closely tied to the fallout from Meek’s beef with Drake. Following Akademiks taking Drake’s side in the public feud, Meek clearly didn’t want to be featured on Akademiks’ page. Since then, they have exchanged occasional messages and renewed disagreements.

The latest chapter heated up around the Lil Durk trial. Meek Mill called out Akademiks for his coverage and commentary on the case, saying he had become a bad influence on the culture.

Akademiks fired back hard, and the beef snowballed into a back and forth of threats between the two. At one point, Meek asked for Akademiks’ address, while Akademiks showed off an arsenal of machine guns and rifles. The confrontation had been really serious before apparently cooling off in recent days.

The message is the latest chapter in a long-running feud that has flared up several times over the past decade. This latest back-and-forth could be Meek’s attempt to close the door on the feud, but given the history between the two, tensions can flare up fast.
So far, it looks like Meek is putting a line under his part of the conversation. Only time will tell whether Akademiks responds.

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