How Much Do Music Artists Earn Online?

From David McCandless at Information is Beautiful, is a great infographic about How Much Do Music Artists Earn Online?  This is a fantastic topic for an infographic because the information is so confusing and difficult to find.  I also really like the comparison of how many songs an artist needs to sell to equal the U.S. monthly minimum wage.

This image is based on an excellent post at The Cynical Musician called The Paradise That Should Have Been about pitiful digital royalties. (Thanks to Neilon for pointing that out). I’ve taken his calculations and added a few more.

As ever, this was incredibly difficult to research. Industry figures are hard to get hold of. Some are even secret. Last.Fm’s royalty and payment system is beyond comprehension. (If you can explain it to me, please get in touch)

Found on both Information is Beautiful and Social Media Graphics