Kim Dotcom’s Music Streaming Service to Give 95% of Proceeds to Artists

As divisive as the German entrepreneur may be, few can accuse Kim Dotcom about not giving a damn. All of his endeavours – from two failed attempts at secure cloud storage and file sharing under the Mega banner, to his foray into politics with New Zealand’s Pirate Party – have been designed to serve the people, rather than himself, and his latest project is no exception. Dotcom has launched a new music streaming service, called Baboom, that gives 90% of all proceeds to the artists, through its “Fair Trade Streaming” agreement.

Baboom offers a free and a premium service. The free tier is supported by ads, allowing streaming for free while charging for individual downloads, while the $10 a month subscription removes ads, lets users download any track they like and unlocks additional content. Music can be streamed online or via Android and iOS apps.

Dotcom first announced plans to launch Baboom back in 2011 – then called Megakey – and was scheduled for release the year after. It was, however, delayed indefinitely following legal proceeding against Dotcom.

It’s not yet clear how large Baboom’s music catalogue is – it might be advisable to try the free version first to assess its viability before committing to a subscription – but the hope is that the appealing terms that reward the artist first will encourage artists to sign up with Baboom.

Baboom is available now online and via Android and iOS apps.