SoundCloud reveal Portishead's ABBA cover earned 500% more via fan-powered royalty system

Back in July Portishead released their 2016 cover of ABBA's "SOS" through SoundCloud's recently launched user-centric streaming model with proceeds going to charity, and SoundCloud has now shared some data about how well that release did.

As Pitchfork reports, in under a month following the "SOS" cover release on SoundCloud, the song earned more than six times the revenue it would have under a pro-rata model used by other platforms, which equates to over a 500% increase.

A representative for SoundCloud said in a statement that "full aggregation of market-live payout data is pending over the coming months", as SoundCloud is still collecting data from the recently launched system.

Portishead's Geoff Barrow told Pitchfork that SoundCloud's new model "is a real opportunity for people who want to support artists".

Back in March, SoundCloud told Music Business Worldwide that the model would see "each [SoundCloud] listener’s subscription or advertising revenue distributed among the artists that they listen to, rather than their plays being pooled", with an aim to "benefit rising independent artists with loyal fans".