It’s great to see Spotify respond in such a positive way to the #FixStreaming’s campaign for more clarity and transparency. Photo credit: Shutterstock
The Loud & Clear website includes a number of resources for artists and industry professionals that break down the royalty system, the players, and the process. These include:
- A look at revenue generation over the years, showing how many artists globally generated how much – across recording and publishing for their catalog – for each of the past four years on Spotify
- An interactive tool that contextualizes monthly listener and monthly stream numbers, as of the end of 2020
- A look at some artist profiles on Spotify detailing who they are, how streaming has changed things for them, and what the future might look like
- A video that breaks down how the money flows from Spotify listeners to artists
- An extensive FAQ and a set of useful third party resources.
Data highlights how artists and performers remain the poor relations
Horace Trubridge, MU General Secretary, said:
“We are delighted to welcome the launch of Spotify’s ‘Loud and Clear’ website. The #fixstreaming campaign has been calling for more clarity and transparency in the way the platforms pay out to the rights holders and it’s great to see Spotify respond in such a positive way.
“It does, however, underline the fact that whilst the success of streaming is generating huge dividends, it is the rights’ owners who are benefitting chiefly and the artists and performers who write and deliver the music that the whole ecosystem depends on are, at best, the poor relations.”
Graham Davies, CEO of The Ivors Academy, said:
"We welcome Spotify’s new initiative as a step in the right direction of providing music creators with greater transparency. Knowledge is power. We have campaigned for greater transparency about how streaming works, and how songwriters and composers are paid.
“However, the figures from Spotify that show ‘payouts’ are not what goes into the pockets of artists and songwriters. It is what labels and publishers receive, who then pay artists and songwriters a fraction of that.
“This is where the industry still has a long way to go to achieve true transparency and fair distribution. But well done Spotify, for recognising the importance of transparency and showing that it is possible.”
We can fix streaming and keep music alive
Together, The Ivors Academy and Musicians’ Union are campaigning to fix streaming.
Over 17,500 of you signed the petition for the Government review. MPs on the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport heard your call and started the Music Streaming Inquiry. Many musicians gave written evidence, and the inquiry has heard from artists, record labels, platforms, and us.
On Monday 22 March it’s Ministers turn as Minister for Digital and Culture Caroline Dinenage MP and Minister for Science, Research and Innovation Amanda Solloway MP give evidence to the inquiry.
Watch live and follow @WeAreTheMU on Twitter for live commentary and analysis from MU Deputy General Secretary Naomi Pohl.