Good Question: How Much Do Artists Make From Music Streaming?

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Chalk up another victory for the talented Taylor Swift — she wrote an open letter to Apple Music, calling them out for not paying artists for their music streamed during a free trial period, for their new streaming service.

Thanks to Swift, Apple reversed its decision and decided to pay artists after all.

But how much do artists make off music streaming, anyway? Good Question.

Rolling Stone Magazine calculated that for every $1.29 song that’s downloaded, an artist on average only gets about 16 percent of the cut, or about 20 cents. Artists can make even less from streaming. So how do singers make their money?

“Really, being on the road is going to help your merchandise,” said Lauren MacLeash, operation manager for BUZ’N, 102.9 and JACK-FM, 104.1. “It’s going to help you sell your music.”

MacLeash said after songwriting, touring is the big moneymaker for artists. Big name stars charge big money for concert tickets, as Rolling Stones fans learned a couple weeks ago.

The average price of a Stones’ ticket is hundreds of dollars, equaling millions in profit per show — far more than anything they would make online. Taylor Swift’s victory then, is likely helping lesser known artists.

“I think it was a very gracious move on her part to say, wait a minute, everybody needs to be paid,” MacLeash said.

MacLeash said every deal is different, and in some cases the songwriter makes more than the artist on iTunes. She’s hoping that everybody makes a little more as CD sales fade.

While concerts and merchandise are still the big moneymakers, you’re seeing more singers venture into other avenues to make money. Justin Bieber made millions off a fragrance called, “Someday,” that was marketed towards teenage girls. Rihanna has been known to charge more than $100,000 per public appearance, such as the launch of a product or the opening of a new night club.

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Target Pulls Confederate Soldier Costume

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Target Corporation has removed a Confederate officer costume from sales on its website in the aftermath of the murders at a black Charleston, South Carolina church last week.

A Target spokesperson told WCCO that the Confederate soldier costume is the only item of its kind sold by the company.

(credit: Target Corp.)

“Our intention is never to offend,” a Target spokesperson said. “We did identify one historical costume on our website. As we all recognize the great sensitivity around this, we have removed that one item from our website.”

Amazon.com and Wal-Mart are other major retailers who are no longer selling items with the Confederate flag or other associated symbols.

The Charleston tragedy has opened up discussion on the appropriateness of symbols related to the Confederate side of the Civil War. There is a petition on Change.org to change the name of Minneapolis’ Lake Calhoun, which was named after Vice President John C. Calhoun — a passionate supporter of slavery.

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1 Year After Historic Rainfall, Small Minnesota Town Still Recovering

BLAKELEY, Minn. (WCCO) — A year after historic rainfall devastated a small Minnesota town, the recovery still isn’t complete. And now, the town is losing one of its last remaining businesses.

Torrential rains washed away the roads leading into Blakeley Township in Scott County last June. For more than a week after last summer’s storms, Blakeley was basically cut off.

No way in or out for residents like Arlene Albrecht.

“Scott County 60 fell in and Scott County 1 fell in,” she said, “so everything was closed.”

A year later, a mile-long section of County Road 60 is still closed, but it will be rebuilt and rerouted next year through an area that’s unlikely to flood: An area where Albrecht’s house has been for 40 years.

For Albrecht, that means getting ready for her home to be demolished and shutting down the nearby antique business she’s had for nearly 50 years.

“More memories than you can imagine,” she said.

She and her late husband, Dave, were both collectors and pack rats with an interesting background.

“My husband and I were both born and raised in the circus,” she said. “My dad was a clown. We (traveled with the circus) in the summer, and then in the fall and winter, we sold antiques.”

(credit: CBS)

Their collection includes everything from plates and posters to carousel horses, hand-carved by Dave Albrecht.

Everything in the shop, including some old circus memorabilia, will go up for auction in early August.

It was one of the last businesses in town, a town that got smaller when the floods caused more people to move away.

“Amazing what happened in one day that changed our valley,” Albrecht said. “Really did a number.”

The project manager of the County Road 60 project, Jake Balk, said 100 years ago when crews first built the road, they put it between two ravines which made it very vulnerable with the mudslides.

He said the new location will make it virtually flood proof.

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Target’s Merchandising Exec Stepping Down From Post

NEW YORK (AP) — Target’s reinvention plan continues.

In the latest move by new CEO Brian Cornell to reshape the retailer, the discounter said that its chief merchandising and supply chain officer is exiting her post.

The retailer said Thursday that Kathryn Tesija, who also served as executive vice president, will move temporarily to a strategic adviser role on July 6 and plans to leave the company in April 2016. The move signals how serious Cornell is in making the company more nimble and reclaiming its position as a “cheap chic” retailer.

Tesija, who joined the company in 1986, had been promoted to chief merchandising officer in 2008 and added the responsibility for the company’s sourcing in 2012.

“During Kathee’s nearly 30-year career at Target, she has earned a reputation as an outstanding merchant and business leader who has been instrumental in Target’s growth and our recent efforts to regain our momentum,” Cornell said in a statement.

But Cornell said that over the past several months, he and Tesija had “many discussions about the business and together have decided that it is the right time for her to transition to an advisory role.”

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission Thursday, Target said that Tesija will continue to receive her current base salary through April 1, 2016.

Target spokeswoman Dustee Jenkins said that Target just started a search for her replacement and will be considering both internal and external candidates. It has hired global recruiting firm Spencer Stuart.

Target has faced uneven sales growth since the Great Recession. Its expansion into basic groceries during the downturn helped to bring in shoppers but it diluted its focus of being a style purveyor.

Under Cornell, who joined the company last August and is a former PepsiCo and Wal-Mart executive, Target is emphasizing areas like fashion, children’s products and home furnishings. It is also bringing more organic, natural, gluten-free and locally produced food into its grocery sections.

Cornell has also been making other big changes. Last week, the discounter announced that it was selling its pharmacy and clinic businesses to drugstore chain CVS Health for about $1.9 billion. Target customers will gain access to CVS Health Corp.’s pharmacy care programs that help them manage their prescriptions, find low-cost generic drugs and buy specialty medications.

Earlier this year, Target closed the money-losing Canadian operations.

Its shares rose 16 cents to finish at $84.50. Its shares are up 45 percent over the past year.

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