= "Over the last decade, streaming services like Spotify have become increasingly dominant, sucking up all the profits at the expense of the musicians who make the work. Now, the newly formed Union for Musicians and Allied Workers is mobilizing to ensure musicians receive the royalties they’re owed." [1]

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Alexander Billet:

" In October, UMAW launched its Justice at Spotify campaign, demanding that the company pay artists a penny per stream (up from what is currently about a fourth of a cent), provide a more transparent business model, user-centric streaming, and to appropriately credit all those who worked on a recording. March 15 was the first national day of action for both the union and the campaign, with rallies held at Spotify offices around the country, aiming to deliver UMAW’s demands. Demonstration for the Justice at Spotify campaign. (Photo courtesy of Alexander Billet)

“I started at UMAW because I was concerned about the future of creative music and wanted to learn more about it,” Julia Holter told me. Holter, a recording artist and composer whose albums have gained notable critical acclaim, said she has been luckier than most other musicians, but is concerned about those just starting out, as well as the general future of recorded music. Over the past decade, services like Spotify have become increasingly dominant in music. This has been accelerated by the pandemic, and mostly to the detriment of the artist.

“The reality is that 83 percent of all recorded music income now is from streaming,” says Holter. “But the recording artists themselves aren’t getting most of that money, so they have to tour. During COVID, of course, musicians haven’t been able to tour, so the inequity has really become very apparent.”

(https://jacobinmag.com/2021/04/union-musicians-allied-workers-spotify-streaming)

Union for Musicians and Allied Workers

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