Who owns Tune.FM? Web3 platform's pay per stream explored amid Snoop Dogg partnership and his Spotify diss

Rapper Snoop Dogg recently became the face of the Web3-based music streaming service Tune.FM. On Thursday, February 27, 2025, the rapper announced the partnership by releasing his latest single, Spaceship Party, exclusively on the platform.

In a conversation with Billboard on February 28, the rapper called out Spotify, saying:

"I don’t f**k with Spotify anymore. I’m only on Tune.FM."

For the unversed, Tune.FM is a blockchain-based Web3 company owned by Andrew Antar. Web3 is an iteration of the World Wide Web based on decentralization and token-based economics. According to Billboard, this platform pays artists instantly per second streamed.

Snoop Dogg's decision stems from his frustration at the current model music streaming services utilize to pay royalties to artists—a minuscule sum and long payout cycles. In a December 2023 interview on the Business Untitled podcast, Snoop Dogg revealed that he earned just $45,000 when he hit a billion streams on Spotify.

"They just sent me some s**t from Spotify, where I got a billion streams, right? My publisher hit me. I said, 'Break that down, how much money is that?' That s**t wasn't even $45,000," the rapper explained.

According to a report by HypeBot, artists on Tune.FM pay artists a cent ($0.01) for every minute streamed as compared to Spotify's $0.003 to $0.005 per total stream. The outlet suggests that this allows the former company to pay artists up to 100X more.

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Snoop Dogg met Tune.FM founder and CEO Andrew Antar at the Crypto Ball last month

Billboard reported that Snoop Dogg is planning on migrating more of his catalog and Death Row Records material onto Tune.FM. He also plans on expanding to feature fan experiences and VIP giveaways like private events and merchandise on the platform.

His vision includes utilizing Tune.FM's marketplace to integrate artist-fan interactions, digital collectibles, and NFT-backed ownership models, per Music Universe.

Snoop Dogg first met the company's founder and CEO, Andrew Antar, at the Crypto Ball held during Donald Trump's inauguration weekend in January 2025. Expressing delight at having the rapper become Tune.FM's face, Antar told Billboard:

"Snoop is the OG pioneer who is always on the cutting edge of technology and new ways of doing business. He totally gets it, and we are ready to take on the world together."

Additionally, as a token of their partnership, Antar, a classically trained musician himself, provided the violin on Snoop Dogg's single Spaceship Party.

Per Music Universe, unlike major music streaming services that pay a certain amount per stream, Tune.FM offers instant per-second payouts. That is instead of waiting months for the payments, the Web3 company offers real-time micropayments for every second a song is played.

According to the same publication, the Tune.FM features its native cryptocurrency called JAM. Moreover, JAM token is fully tradable and is built on the Hedera Hashgraph (HBAR) network, used by industry giants like IBM, Google, and Boeing. Instead of a subscription, users stream using the said tokens.

JAM is available to purchase on the company's website and can be earned by listening to promoted music. Upon signing up for Tune.FM, a JAM wallet is automatically created for users, who can reportedly spend the tokens on streaming, tipping musicians, and even unlocking exclusive content.

The company seemingly utilizes an AI-driven discovery algorithm that is beneficial to independent artists as they don't have to rely on paid promotion.

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In response to Snoop Dogg shifting to the Web3 platform, a spokesperson for Spotify told TMZ Hip Hop on February 28:

"We can’t speak to endorsement deals for Web3 companies but … $45K for a billion streams?" adding, "It’s unfortunate to hear that Spotify’s payments didn’t make it through to Snoop."

The spokesperson continued, calling the rapper a "legend," hoping that his new partnership allows him to see "more of that money."

Snoop Dogg's Spaceship Party is available to stream on Tune.FM.