The UK parliament has set up a new working group to explore issues surrounding fair pay for music artists and make an effort to correct current pay rates.
The working group—equivalent to a task force of sorts in the U.S. government—was created earlier this week after being initially recommended in a report by the government’s Culture Media and Sport (CMS) Committee in 2021.
The group is built of experts from the music industry and will examine how artists are paid by digital streaming services like Apple Music, Spotify, and Tidal.
Chair of the CMS Committee, MP Caroline Dinenage said, “The creation of a working group we have been calling for is a welcome step towards addressing the frustrations of musicians and songwriters whose pay falls far short of a fair level given their central role in the success of the music streaming industry.”
Members of parliament called for a “complete reset” of music streaming in 2021, and suggested a 50/50 split between artists and services when it comes to royalties. At the time, it was reported that artists only see 16% of the £736.5 million generated by British record labels.
The BBC reported in July 2021 that Apple Music pays artists around £0.0059 per stream, while Spotify pays between £0.002 and £0.0038 per stream. This comes to about £300 paid to artists per 100,000 streams.
On parliament’s role in the issue, Dinenage added, “The government must now make sure the group is more than talking shop and leads to concrete change so the talented creators and performers we have in this country are properly rewarded for their creativity.”
High-profile British artists like Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, and Wolf Alice have all been outspoken in support for the changes to the way musicians are paid in regard to streaming.
Peter Quicke, managing director of Independent UK dance label Ninja Tune, also voiced his support for industry streaming reform in an interview in January, advocating for the label’s fair practice of building 50/50 record deals.
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