So this happened - #BeatlesOnSpotify (and everywhere else)

After Taylor Swift, Neil Young, Adele, and others withdrew all or part of their music from Spotify, it became clear that Spotify really needed some good news.

And Spotify - and other services - got it.

In a series of tweets and retweets from Twitter's @thebeatles account, it was announced that the Beatles' catalog - whoops, catalogue - is now available for streaming on Spotify. And Google Play. And Prime Music. And Slacker. And Deezer. And Tidal. And Apple Music (the computer company, not the record company). And probably some other services.

Needless to say, this is a major win for streaming. And presumably the deals got done when the price was right.

Perhaps this won't sway Taylor or Adele, and Neil Young certainly marches to his own drummer, but this is obviously a major break for the streaming companies.

So now that that's over with, will the artists attack the companies that are TRULY ripping off the artists?

Namely...radio stations.

Radio airplay is considered a public performance. Public performances generate performance royalties for songwriters, which are collected by the PROs (ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC). In the US, terrestrial broadcasters (AM or FM stations) do not pay performers or sound recording copyright owners; they only pay the songwriters.

So, for every time “…Baby One More Time” plays on the radio – Max Martin and his publisher receive performance royalties from ASCAP (Max’s PRO). However, the performer Britney does not earn any royalties.

Yet Taylor, Adele, and the others happily promote radio stations playing their music even though they don't get a cent from the radio stations - well, other than songwriting royalties.

Now you know why Elvis insisted on songwriter's credits even when he didn't write the songs - Colonel Tom Parker wanted to make some money for his boy, and for himself.