Worth Knowing — small, true things we've turned up about how music and goods actually get made and paid for. We share them because an informed supporter is a better one.
The Money Nobody Claims Goes to the Biggest Players
When a streaming service can't identify who owns a song, the royalties pile up unpaid. Over $424 million had accumulated by 2021, and money that stays unclaimed is eventually split among publishers by market share.
Buying Direct Leaves Far More With the Maker
Card processing takes about 3% of a direct sale. Selling the same shirt through a large marketplace costs 25 to 40% once fees, fulfilment and advertising are counted.
Spotify's Founder: From Music to the Military Industrial Complex
Daniel Ek founded Spotify and is its executive chairman. He also chairs Helsing, whose AI strike drones search for and engage targets without a continuous data link.
Fairtrade® Buyers Can't Pay Below a Set Minimum
When the market price for a crop falls, certified buyers still pay a floor set to cover the cost of growing it sustainably. Certification counts toward our Union Standard tier.
The Fashion Industry Discards About 92 Million Tonnes a Year
The UN Environment Programme puts textile waste from clothing at roughly 92 million tonnes annually — the equivalent of a truckload burned or buried every second.
Half the Profit Goes to the Artist
On an artist affiliated piece, the profit — what's left after making it, card fees and shipping — is split down the middle with the artist. The exact figure is on the product's page.
GOTS® Follows the Fiber All the Way to the Garment
The Global Organic Textile Standard covers chemical inputs, wastewater, labor conditions and third-party audits at every stage. Certification counts toward our Union Standard tier.
97% of People Read Reviews Before Choosing a Business
BrightLocal's 2026 survey of a thousand US consumers found 97% read online reviews when weighing up a local business, and 41% always do. Writing one costs nothing.
The Label Spends It. The Artist Repays It.
A label pays for recording, marketing and promotion, then deducts all of it from the artist's share rather than its own. At a 25% royalty, each dollar spent takes four dollars of sales to clear.
A Send Counts for More Than a Like
Instagram's head has said sends per reach is one of the most important signals in ranking, because forwarding a post is how it reaches people who don't already follow the account.
How We Count a Stream
No service publishes a real per-stream rate, so we measure our own from what the collective catalog earns. Only deliberate listens count; feed autoplay, lyrics licensing and downloads are left out.
Not All Streams Count the Same
Billboard counts 100 paid streams, 250 ad-supported (free tier) streams, or 400 programmed streams — where a station picked the song, not you — as one song "sale."
Labels Can Trade Royalties for Promotion
Spotify's Discovery Mode places a track in radio, autoplay and personalized mixes in exchange for a lower royalty rate on it. Broadcast radio must announce paid play. Streaming has no such rule.
A Single Wash Can Release Over 700,000 Fibers
University of Plymouth researchers measured more than 700,000 microplastic fibers from one six-kilogram load of synthetic fabric. Cotton releases none, because there is no plastic in it.
Going Gold Now Takes 75 Million Streams
Gold has always meant 500,000 units. Once that was half a million records sold. The RIAA now counts 150 streams as one unit, so on streaming alone it takes 75 million plays.
Only One Service Has Published an Audited Payout Rate
Qobuz reports $0.01873 per stream, confirmed by an outside firm and, by its own account, a first for the industry. Spotify says no such rate exists.
Most Songs on Spotify Earn Nothing
A track earns nothing on Spotify until it passes 1,000 streams in a year, and the streams that got it there are never paid.
"Sustainable" Has No Legal Definition
Any brand can print the word on anything. Certifications like GOTS and Fairtrade are the checkable version, which is why our tiers rest on them.
What a Dollar Is Worth in Streams
An artist earns about as much from one dollar of a direct sale as from 623 streams.
Venues Often Take a Cut of Merch Sold at Shows
When an artist sells a shirt at the merch table, the venue commonly takes between 15 and 30% of the price.
Union Standard Means a Third Party Checked
A supplier earns it by having its supply chain certified, independently audited, and openly named. Not every supplier we use clears that bar, and we say which ones do.
Union Approved
HoodieSword of a Giant Black Zip Up Hoodie
Supports Sword of a Giant$70.00
Union Approved
SweatpantsVolcanic Navy Fitzgerald Fleece Sweatpants
$56.00
Union Approved
TankAfter Dark Micro-Rib UU Tank
$31.00
Union Approved
TankFirst Light Micro-Rib UU Tank
$31.00
Union Standard
T-ShirtWhiteout Printed Organic Tee
$30.00
Union Standard
T-ShirtNightfall Printed Organic Tee
$30.00
Union Standard
SweatshirtRob Banks Terelj Organic Crewneck
$86.00
Union Approved
HatSword of a Giant Asteroid Ankle Snapback Hat
Supports Sword of a Giant$41.00
