The Yandex Music service, part of the Yandex Plus package, is preparing to introduce a new feature that lets listeners make monetary donations to artists. A Yandex spokesperson shared the plan in an interview with the publication Vedomosti.
Any commission from these donations will stay with the artist and will not be kept by the platform.
In addition, Yandex Music intends to increase the amount paid to musicians for publishing new content, covering these costs itself. A company representative stated that 100 million rubles will be set aside for these goals in 2024.
The aim of these initiatives is to give artists, particularly those just starting out, more avenues to release new music and to attract more listeners to the service. The Yandex spokesperson emphasized that when artists release music more frequently, they draw greater attention, which in turn boosts interest in streaming platforms.
Russia’s music streaming market contracted significantly in 2022, dropping by 30 to 50 percent to a range of 5 to 7 billion rubles. The key factors behind this decline included the shutdown of foreign broadcasting services and the impact on large brands and payment systems.
Within Russia, the leading music services include Yandex Music, VK Music, MTS Music, and Audio. Yandex Music is set to become the first major Russian streaming platform to offer a donation feature that allows fans to financially support artists directly for their tracks. Meanwhile, VK is advancing its VK Donut platform on the VKontakte social network, enabling communities to receive funding from subscribers, with authors offering exclusive content and special perks in return. VK Donut charges a 10 percent commission on each transfer. In 2022, earnings for writers on VK Donut rose by 52 percent to 383 million rubles.
Earlier, Yandex allocated funds to content creators on the Yandex Zen platform. In 2021, 2 billion rubles were devoted to supporting bloggers, and in 2022 the figure reached 4 billion rubles. Distribution of these funds was based on measures such as subscriber engagement, audience growth, and additional indicators tied to content performance.
There have been disruptions in cultural events as well; activists in December called for the cancellation of Loqiemean concerts due to allegations about donations related to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This situation underscores the evolving relationship between online platforms, content creators, and broader geopolitical contexts in the music scene.
In related developments, a neural network created a finished song by Yegor Letov, accompanied by a video, illustrating the growing intersection of artificial intelligence with music production and digital media. These movements reflect ongoing experimentation as artists, platforms, and technology converge to shape the modern music landscape in Russia and beyond. Notably, the industry continues to seek sustainable models that support creators while offering audiences diverse listening options. At the same time, platforms are mindful of regulatory and market challenges that influence how new features are rolled out and how revenue is shared among stakeholders. Citations: Vedomosti on donations concept; VK Donut statistics; Zen funding history; industry context reports.