That's unclear. Playing any recorded music typically requires a license fee to be paid even when it's "free" to the listener (for instance, the radio or a publi

That's unclear. Playing any recorded music typically requires a license fee to be paid even when it's "free" to the listener (for instance, the radio or a public venue) Spotify pays based on payments from Premium users, as well as ad revenue. I presume others have similar arrangements. https://support.spotify.com/us/artists/article/royalties/ https://support.spotify.com/us/artists/article/royalties/