MUSIC fans can now pledge direct financial support to artists during lockdown, after a tip jar initiative was rolled out by streaming giant Spotify.

The Artist Fundraising Pick scheme allows listeners to donate to their chosen band or singer, as well as their support crews, with payments made through CashApp, GoFundMe or PayPal.

Some artists may also wish to forward donations to certain charities involved in Spotify's selected charities in its Covid-19 Music Relief Project.

The initiative was announced yesterday, complete with a statement which read: "Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Spotify has engaged our partners across the industry to discuss how we can support artists and the creative community who have been deeply impacted by the effects of the devastating virus. Though streaming continues to play a key role in connecting creators with their fans, numerous other sources of revenue have been interrupted or stopped altogether by this crisis."

It added: "We also felt we could uniquely help by providing the global reach of Spotify to artists who are fundraising during this challenging time — to help them get the word out to fans, many of whom visit them on Spotify every day. And we've been really inspired by fans that want to help the artists they love and have been making direct donations."

The feature was introduced yesterday with a handful of prominent acts already availing themselves of its benefits.

"First and foremost, this feature enables artists who are interested in raising money to support themselves, their bands, or their crews, to get the word out to their fans on their Spotify artist profiles," the blog post continued.

"Given the urgency and impact of the Covid-19 crisis, we're working as quickly as we can to develop this new product and get it out to as many artists as possible. However, we've never built a fundraising feature like this before."

Tipping has been a feature of online streaming services such as Twitch and a few others.

Spotify's move into the area appears to have been welcomed by the music community, but calls have been made for the streaming service to triple its royalty payments.

Last month petition was set up to encourage Spotify to take action, with around 2,000 signatures pledged.

The company has said it has pledged millions to help artists and their teams through the lockdown.