Fear of being excluded holds artists back from challenging the major platforms.
The DCMS Culture Committee will “take a very dim view” of anyone found to be interfering with witnesses submitting evidence to its latest inquiry, which is examining the economics of music streaming.
Their statement follows the revelation by singer songwriter Nadine Shah that she and fellow musicians were scared to contribute to the inquiry because “we do not want to lose favour with the streaming platforms, and we do not want to lose favour with the major labels.”
Committee Chair Julian Knight MP has now added his voice to hers, saying “We have been told by many different sources that some of the people interested in speaking to us have become reluctant to do so because they fear action may be taken against them if they speak in public.”
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He warned that “anyone deliberately causing harm to one of our witnesses would be in danger of being in contempt of this House”. The Committee will, he said, “brook no such interference” by anyone proven to be involved in such activity, and will “not hesitate to name and shame” them.
Those who have been too worried to come forward so far are being encouraged to get touch with the Committee, who will treat their evidence in confidence.
Unfair to most
Shah was one of six witnesses called to the inquiry’s first Oral Evidence session, held on 24th November.
She and others described the revenue distribution systems currently operating as being unfair to all except the most successful household-name artists.
The lack of transparency about who is earning what compounds the problem. Shah said: “I am in a position now where I am struggling to pay my rent and I am embarrassed to talk about these issues publicly because money to an extent is an indication of success… what is transparent is that I am not being paid…”
According to specialist music, film and entertainment accountant Colin Young, who also addressed the Committee, recording artists typically receive 16.5% of the value of their work being streamed on the Spotify, the leading global streaming service. The platform itself takes 30%, the record label 38.5%, the songwriter 10.5% and the publisher 4.5%.
The situation is made worse by curated playlists that are automatically chosen by algorithm. Musician Tom Gray, founder of the #BrokenRecord Campaign, is lobbying for change. He told the Committee that niche music is particularly disadvantaged by this: “We know jazz is doing badly in streaming, we know classical is doing badly in streaming” he said.
Another problem is the length of each piece of music: “…you get paid for 30 seconds. After 30 seconds everyone gets paid the same. A classical piece that is seven minutes long gets paid the same as a 31-second rap track, so there are the curious funding problems.”
#BrokenRecord is calling for UK legislation to be amended by extending artists’ right to ‘Equitable Remuneration’ that already exists in broadcasting. This would enable them to earn from On Demand streaming in the same way they earn from radio and TV transmissions.
The DCMS Committee’s inquiry is taking evidence until Friday 11 December, seeking the perspectives of industry experts, artists and record labels as well as streaming platforms themselves.
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