U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib Proposes Streaming Royalty Reform For Artists

Michigan representative is proposing a royalty program for musicians

Democratic Michigan representative Rashida Tlaib is looking to reshape how music creators receive proper compensation from streaming services.  Representative Tlaib put forward a Congressional Resolution that will bring forth a new program when it comes royalties from streaming services, where the artist will get paid directly.

“While the music industry has experienced an economic revival with the success of streaming music services like Spotify and Apple Music, the current lack of regulation or codified streaming music royalty program has driven a race to the bottom,” Tlaib wrote in her letter, according to a press release. “Streaming music platforms’ payouts per stream are minuscule, and declining each year—leaving working musicians with little of the income generated by these platforms.”

Tlaib has worked closely with Union of Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW) a nonprofit organization where their main objective is to “organize music workers to fight for a more just music industry, and to join with other workers in the struggle for a better society.”

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The top music streaming services are literally paying artists pennies on the dollar just to put things in perspective here is the pay out for artists from the music streaming services

Co-founder of UMAW Joey La Neve DeFrancesco, who also is a musician added in a statement “UMAW has been working toward legislation for over two years. Tech giants like Apple, Amazon, Spotify, and others have sent music industry profits skyrocketing, but working musicians aren’t seeing any of that money. It’s time that we get our fair share.”