‘It’s not fair that music chiefs earns millions while musicians can’t pay their rent’
UncategorizedFrom Labour MP Kevin Brennan, a member of the Select Committee for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, introducing a new bill to make streaming pay direct to musicians:
This is all about creating the right future structure for a secure career in music. I want young people to be able to aspire to make a reasonable living from original music. I want them to be able to make music that people will love and appreciate, and to get a fair share of the money people pay to listen to it.
Not every talented person will be able to make a living out of music, but there’s something wrong with a system where record industry executives get massive salaries and share options when, as we heard recently on the Culture Select Committee, some award-nominated artists can’t afford to pay their rent.
My bill would play a part in helping to create an environment where more talented people can have that opportunity to make a living out of their creative skills.
Full article here.
All he says is that he wants Spotify to pay a bit to artists whose music is streamed in the way radio plays do. And probably other services like Spotify. Fine by me, as any firm that can pay La Markle mega-millions for her shallow self-obsessions can afford to pay for their product on an as-used basis.
Summarised so you don’t have to read it on that link. It’s to the Independent, which has so many ads per page it is harder to read than The Express or The Daily Mail. And does not allow ad-block, before you ask. Never again. I’d sooner subscribe to The Telegraph!
Something odd about demanding that the providers of content get paid, but objecting to paying yourself when reading the Independent: the adds pay for the content you are reading, in case you didn’t know.
Very timely. We’re at a nexus where musicians are being financially brutalized by the double whammy of streaming services and Covid travel restrictions. That doesn’t mean I’m not in favor of having some protections in place, as we’re far from being out of the woods with Covid just yet. British colleagues have to deal with the Brexit restrictions, on top of all that. Everyone here knows all about that.
How much does a Labour MP make? Can I restate his words, simply leaving out a few?
“Not every person will be able to make a living, but there’s something wrong with a system where executives get massive salaries and share options when some can’t afford to pay their rent.”
Equitable remuneration from the streaming companies would be highly welcome by all orchestral players…. about time too!
Agencies make money engaging artist for a ridiculous fee with minimal effort from the agent. Music publishers get 2/3 of the rental of the composer’s orchestral parts and 2/5 of the performance rights. Private music academies get 3/5 of the income generated by the teacher. Substitutes in orchestras get per project between 1/2 and 3/5 of what a tenured member get.
As a business, being a musician is not worth it.