Method Man, the iconic rapper known for his solo career and work with Wu-Tang Clan, recently shared a surprising truth: he has yet to make any money from streaming his music. This revelation came during an interview with Wale Ogunleye, Head of Sports & Entertainment at UBS, on Hot 97’s YouTube channel.
While discussing the impact of artificial intelligence on the creative industry, Method Man commented on how new technology could affect intellectual property, particularly for artists from his era. “I’m still trying to figure out AI, but I’ve seen things that made me raise an eyebrow,” he said, referencing AI-generated diss tracks featuring voices of artists like Drake, 2Pac, Snoop Dogg, and Kendrick Lamar. “It goes way deeper than that, especially when it comes to IPs for artists from my era. I’ve never gotten a streaming check for any of my music.”
He acknowledged that the intersection of AI and art is complex, adding, “There may be someone who can make a perfect mix of the two where — I’m not saying to accept it, but at least make art out of it, and that’s what I’m always for, the creative part.”
Method Man didn’t provide further details about the ownership of his music or the reasons behind his lack of streaming revenue. However, he isn’t alone in voicing concerns about the current streaming model and its payout structures.
Snoop Dogg, another rap legend, highlighted the issue last year by revealing how little he earned from a billion streams on Spotify. Speaking on the Business Untitled podcast, Snoop said: “In the streaming world, I could show you right now, they sent me some shit from Spotify where I got a billion streams... That shit wasn’t even $45,000.” It remains unclear whether Snoop was referring to his total earnings from the streams or just his publishing royalties, which are shared among all songwriters.
Similarly, super-producer Metro Boomin has criticized streaming payouts, suggesting that his next album may be his last to be available on streaming platforms. He posted on Instagram: “A fan needs to stream an artist’s music 20 times a day for a whole year for that artist to make $25 from a fan.”
Despite these concerns, steps are being taken to improve the situation. The Living Wage For Musicians Act, recently proposed legislation, aims to increase the amount of money streaming services pay to artists. The act would establish a new royalty fund, bypassing labels and paying artists directly. This would be funded by an additional fee on streaming subscriptions, equal to 50 percent of the current subscription price, or about $4 to $10. The bill also proposes a royalty cap for songs with over a million monthly streams, with the excess royalties distributed among all artists.
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