Payout lanes, royalties, and direct fan money.
Four revenue lanes opened for independent artists in one month: paid fan remixes on Spotify through the Merlin deal, TikTok LIVE gifts on original songs, SoundCloud's hand-picked The Upload, and YouTube fan funding that stays at 500 subscribers while ad thresholds double in 2027.
SoundCloud launched The Upload on 3 August 2026: a weekly human-curated discovery playlist with editorial commentary and no follower requirement, positioned as an answer to algorithmic fatigue.