We are pleased the IPO and Government are listening to musicians and continuing to investigate the issues with music streaming. Image credit: The MU ©
Government has today announced the creation of a working group to look at fair pay for musicians and music creators - an important milestone in the campaign to Fix Streaming.
This follows recommendations made by MPs on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Select Committee in their revolutionary music streaming inquiry report in 2021 and a follow up report earlier this year. These call for action to ensure musicians and music creators receive a fairer share of the money generated by streaming.
In particular, the MU is calling for equitable remuneration. This would mean a guaranteed income stream for all musicians whose performances appear on streamed tracks.
The new working group will be composed of representatives and experts from across the music sector and will "explore and develop industry-led actions that support fair remuneration for existing and future music creators as part of a successful and globally competitive music industry."
Most musicians are not paid fairly from music streaming
MU General Secretary Naomi Pohl said:
“We are pleased that the Intellectual Property Office and Government are listening to musicians and continuing to investigate the issues with music streaming.
"Thanks to the DCMS Select Committee’s ongoing support and the recommendations they have made over the past few years, we finally have a forum to discuss potential solutions to the creator remuneration gap.
“The vast majority of our members are not paid fairly from music streaming, if they receive any royalties at all, while labels are making record profits. It can’t go on.
"We need a package of solutions that works for the various performer and creator groups in the music ecosystem, including signed featured artists and session musicians. We need fair royalties for those on existing tracks and those recording today.”
Backed by key figures in the Campaign to Fix Streaming