News

Broadcast by NDR – March 2024

In a televised report aired by Germany’s public broadcaster NDR, the Hamburg-based platform songs.de and its founder Jens Reese are featured as part of an in-depth look at the challenges of fair music streaming.

The segment explores the growing concerns surrounding conventional streaming models, where most artists receive only a tiny fraction of the revenue despite massive listener engagement. On mainstream platforms, stream payouts are fixed and often far from fair.

songs.de offers a radically different model:

• Artists set their own price per stream (e.g. €0.05, €0.09, or more)

• There are no subscriptions and no algorithms prioritizing certain content

• Each artist receives a personal profile page with a QR code – ideal for live shows, vinyl releases, and social media

• The platform is designed for international use, including global tax compliance

In the NDR interview, founder Jens Reese explains the motivation behind songs.de and the hurdles involved in challenging an industry dominated by big tech players. The report also features voices from within the music community.

The piece highlights songs.de not just as another streaming platform, but as a mission to rethink the system and give control back to those who create the music.

Watch the full report (German language):
https://www.ndr.de/kultur/musik/Hamburger-Unternehmer-will-Musikstreaming-fairer-machen-aber-wie,fairerstreamingdienst100.html