US Representative Rashida Tlaib has introduced a new bill proposing higher streaming payments for musicians.
The bill, called the Living Wage for Musicians Act, was introduced by Tlaib after the Michigan representative teamed up with Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York, United Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW), and artists from across the country.
Hoping to pave the way for musicians to earn higher salaries, the bill would advocate for several changes, including the creation of a new streaming royalty rate that would increase payments to a minimum of one cent per stream and a limit to songs after each broadcast. They reached one million transmissions. Currently, Spotify only pays between $0.003 and $0.005 per stream.
A press release explains: “The royalty would be funded through platform subscription fees and a 10% tax on non-subscription income, and is designed to ensure that artists receive a minimum of one cent per transmission, an amount calculated to provide a working class. artist a decent salary thanks to streaming. The royalty would be paid proportionately from a central fund, with a limit on how much an individual track can earn, to ensure a more equitable distribution of payments.”
For her part, Tlaib said: “Streaming has changed the music industry, but it is leaving countless artists struggling to make ends meet… It's only fair that the people who create the music we love get their fair share, so that can thrive, it does not simply survive.”
The proposed bill follows growing interest in payments for streaming services in recent years, as well as the announcement of Spotify's new royalty model last fall. Other bills related to the music economy have also been introduced recently, including Rep. Deborah Ross's enhanced version of the Working Musicians Protection Act, a bill that would grant an antitrust exemption to artists seeking to bargain collectively. a wage increase and protection against online music distributors and artificial intelligence developers.
thanks to our partners at consequence.net
