How much money do you think an artist rakes in when their music is streamed a million times online? That's a trick question … because there's absolutely no raking involved.
While you might instantly have visions of retirement level wads of cash from that kind of reach, the reality is an artist makes just about half a cent per play. That means a million listens turns into just $6,750 for the artist. If they want to reach the median U.S. wage level working at their craft, they need to be generating 550,000 streams every month.
As for who else gets paid for any artist's work, managers, marketers, retailers, and other assorted middlemen all take their cut first.
As consumers, we'd all like to make sure the person who created the item we love — the actual artist — is getting paid, and paid well, for their contribution to the world. Pixels is an online marketplace that makes sure independent artists get theirs, while you get museum-quality art, apparel, and lifestyle or home goods that fit your personal taste to a T.
Since 2006, Pixels has helped artists monetize their works, growing to become the world's largest art marketplace and print-on-demand service. Artists upload their pieces to Pixels and set their prices. Consumers can then choose the art they love and get it just the way they want it, from traditional wall art and clothing to more esoteric items like shower curtains, pillows, tote bags, or coffee mugs.
Pixels creates the item to your specs, handles the packaging and shipping, then slips the lion's share of the proceeds where it belongs (in the artist's pocket).
If you're looking for a cool apparel gift, Pixels goes way beyond T-shirts. Buyers can get their favorite paintings, illustrations, graphic designs, or even photographs on everything from tank tops to comfortable hoodies in men's, women's, and children's sizes. Maybe a custom face mask? Yep, Pixels can make that happen too.
If you'd like your smartphone case to be as unique as you are, Pixels has thousands of incredibly cool images, all available as customized cases for iPhones, Galaxies, and other popular Android phone varieties.
You can even find something like a yoga mat that fits your personality and attitude perfectly. From Wonder Woman to a sweet graphic design to motivational messaging, shoppers can pick their favorite or have a favorite Pixels image of their own turned into a yoga mat.
Customers can take a spin through the Pixels website and the thousands of options, all while feeling good that their hard-earned dollars are ultimately going to the right place — the artists.
