With my cynical hat on I can only assume that it would be more equitable, but the big music labels wouldn't sign on to that deal with Spotify initially as it wa

With my cynical hat on I can only assume that it would be more equitable, but the big music labels wouldn't sign on to that deal with Spotify initially as it was worse for the big labels (at a cost to smaller indies). With no data to back it up I'd assume the commercial pop music it more likely to be played by free/high listen paid accounts (kids/gyms/cafes etc), while paid accounts with small play numbers are more likely to be listening to indies (think stereotypical early adopters and HN readers). The current system benefits the labels with big commercial high volume pop music.