Musicians may soon get a long-awaited raise at the expense of streaming services.
In an effort led by Representatives Rashida Tlaib and Jamaal Bowman, United Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW) have proposed the Living Wage for Musicians Act to Congress. According to its authors, the bill would help ensure that artists can build a successful career in the tumultuous era of digital music streaming.
“Streaming has changed the music industry, but it is leaving behind countless artists struggling to make ends meet,” Tlaib said in a statement. “It's only fair that the people who create the music we love get their fair share, so they can thrive, not just survive.”
It is important to note that this is an additional royalty to the artists' current royalties. The new royalty would be paid directly to artists, bypassing the tortuous, multi-tiered corporate filter through which every penny of streaming revenue passes.
Platform subscription fees and a 10% tax on non-subscription revenue would fund these royalties, ensuring that artists receive a minimum of one cent per stream, a rate that is significantly higher than what they currently pay. streaming services. Royalties would be paid through a central fund and would be subject to an eventual limit on the amount of monthly profits.
The UMAW has also launched a petition in support of the bill, asking musicians, music professionals, advocacy groups and independent labels to pledge their support.
“There's a lot of talk in the industry about how to 'fix' streaming, but streaming platforms and major labels have already had their say for over a decade, and they've failed musicians,” said organizer and musician UMAW, Damon Krukowski. in a sentence. “The Living Wage for Musicians Act presents a new artist-focused solution to make streaming work for the many and not just the few. We need to put value back into recordings by pumping more money into the system, and we need to pay to artists and musicians directly to transmit their work.”
thanks to our partners at edm.com
