UK: MPS Call For Complete Reset Of Music Streaming To Ensure Fair Pay For Artists

The music industry is weighted against artists, with even successful pop stars seeing “pitiful returns” from streaming, a committee of MPs has said.

They are calling for a “complete reset” of the market, with musicians given a fair share of the £736.5 million that UK record labels earn from streaming.

In a report, they said royalties should be split 50/50, instead of the current rate, where artists receive about 16%.

The findings came after a six-month inquiry into music streaming.

“While streaming has brought significant profits to the recorded music industry, the talent behind it – performers, songwriters and composers – are losing out,” said Julian Knight, MP, who chairs parliament’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee.

“Only a complete reset of streaming that enshrines in law their rights to a fair share of the earnings will do.”

The findings will be seen as a victory by pop stars like Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, Melanie C, Wolf Alice and Jessie Ware, who recently called on the Prime Minister to reform the way musicians get paid when their songs are streamed.

Musician Tom Gray, whose #BrokenRecord campaign prompted the inquiry, said he was “overjoyed” by the findings.

“It feels like a massive vindication,” he said. “They’ve really come to the same conclusions that we’ve been saying for a very long time.”

The BPI, which represents the UK recorded music industry, was more cautious.

It said streaming was “enabling more artists than ever” to earn a “long-term, sustainable income” and that new policies should be properly examined to ensure against “unintended consequences for investment into new talent”.