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Hi there, this is MU Deputy General Secretary @NaomiPohl. I’ll be live tweeting comment and analysis of today’s @CommonsDCMS #MusicStreamingInquiry session here @WeAreTheMU.
You can also watch it live at https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/2b07aef9-9a2e-44ee-a15e-4cb328ea65ad
#FixStreaming #KeepMusicAlive
You can also watch it live at https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/2b07aef9-9a2e-44ee-a15e-4cb328ea65ad
#FixStreaming #KeepMusicAlive
This is a really significant moment in the #fixstreaming campaign. Here’s a rundown of our #MusicStreamingInquiry highlights so far: https://musiciansunion.org.uk/all-news-and-features/fifth-music-streaming-inquiry-to-be-broadcast-live #KeepMusicAlive
Geoff Taylor of @bpi_music says streaming is taking over from the sales model and should therefore be treated as a sale or as ‘making available’. These two models favour the labels, not artists, economically. That’s why we want to #fixstreaming - NP
. @julianknight15 highlights that award winning artists are struggling financially. Geoff Taylor says this is because of the live music sector being closed. He says that’s the problem we need to fix. - NP
The live sector being closed is an enormous problem for musicians. However, recorded music should also provide a decent income stream. It doesn’t. Geoff Taylor representing major labels predictably focuses on lack of streaming royalties from YouTube. #MusicStreamingInquiry -NP
Yes YouTube should pay more. But if labels don’t pay artists their fair share then the system won’t improve. More money generated, at the moment, would benefit major labels far, far more than it would benefit most performers. #fixstreaming #MusicStreamingInquiry -NP
. @the_MPA tell @CommonsDCMS the share of revenue for songwriters & publishers is increasing. It has gone from 8% to 15%. However why aren’t they aiming for 50/50? They should push harder for a fair share. Major labels still get by far the biggest share at over 50%. #FixStreaming
. @hash_tag_music of @the_MPA says he would love to see streaming platforms charge more as this would benefit the industry & creators. We also need better deals for artists from major labels. Publishers pay 80% to songwriters. Labels pay less than 30% to artists. #FixStreaming
Geoff Taylor of @bpi_music is asked why the UK music industry isn’t getting its fair share of global streaming revenue. Given how successful UK artists are, too much revenue stays in the U.S. because major labels & platforms are based there.
. @KevinBrennanMP says independent publishers think the 15% share for publishing from streaming is scandalous. He is quoting @IMPForum. The MPA think the value of the song has increased and is going in the right direction. #MusicStreamingInquiry
. @KevinBrennanMP is implying that major labels control the major publishers and this keeps the publishing share of streaming revenue down. We agree! The MPA say it’s a free market. @CommonsDCMS raising some key issues #MusicStreamingInquiry
Geoff Taylor is asked by @KevinBrennanMP if the major label heads were coached for the #MusicStreamingInquiry sessions by @bpi_music and he said yes. He also said they had engaged a lobbying & media firm to help with this inquiry.
Nothing surprising about that in a sense but it’s a shame we haven’t seen more willingness from the major labels to engage with or make proposals to give artists a better deal and a fairer share. Very defensive. - NP
Geoff says streaming has the potential to get the record industry back to its height. He says we should grow the revenue pot rather than reviewing revenue shares. I couldn’t disagree more! More money into the system won’t benefit artists unless there are fairer deals! - NP
What? Geoff doesn’t monitor label executive pay? We do! In 2019 the top 5 execs got $120m in salary and bonus (some of this bonus paid as shares). In 2020 the same execs received $593m shares, we understand. #MusicStreamingInquiry
. @julianknight15 suggests Geoff should seek a refund if he’s been paying a firm to lobby on behalf of labels on the subject of this #MusicStreamingInquiry. 
It’s true. @hash_tag_music of @the_MPA says music publishers they pay the majority of what they receive to songwriters. They do. Major labels do not. #MusicStreamingInquiry #FixStreaming
Geoff on safer ground here talking about the value gap. YouTube hides behind ‘safe harbour’ rules which means they don’t take responsibility for user generated or uploaded content that infringes copyright. They also pay insufficient licence fees. #FixStreaming
. @hash_tag_music of @the_MPA says YouTube is a music service. The majority of content is music or contains music. They should pay fairly. He also says Spotify have to keep their prices down as they are competing with YouTube. #MusicStreamingInquiry
When asked about struggling artists, Geoff keeps talking about label spend on A & R. He says royalties for artists are increasing. He thinks the proportion paid out is about right! But we know it’s not!! Deals aren’t fair in most cases. We must #FixStreaming #KeepMusicAlive - NP
. @JulieElliottMP of @CommonsDCMS asks @bpi_music & @the_MPA about tackling piracy. Geoff Taylor talks about Google needing to take active steps, rather than rights-holders and creators having to take responsibility #MusicStreamingInquiry
The key issue with streaming is that major labels are announcing record profits while our members can’t put food on the table or pay their bills! #MusicStreamingInquiry #FixStreaming #KeepMusicAlive https://musiciansunion.org.uk/all-news-and-features/major-labels-give-evidence-at-music-streaming-inquiry
Looking forward to hearing from our Gen Sec Horace Trubridge soon as part of the #MusicStreamingInquiry - he will be talking about fair remuneration for musicians, legacy contracts and why streaming revenue should be paid via collecting societies #FixStreaming
. @julianknight15 asks Geoff of @bpi_music if there should be a full competition & market authority review of streaming economics. Geoff says no, the market is a free market with healthy competition. We disagree! The market isn’t working for creators - NP
Up next in the #MusicStreamingInquiry sessions with @CommonsDCMS we have our Gen Sec Horace Trubridge & Graham Davies of @IvorsAcademy. A key moment for the #FixStreamjng & #KeepMusicAlive campaign
. @DamianHinds asks why 30% of streaming revenue stays with platform, eg Spotify. Graham of @IvorsAcademy says the publishing share, for songwriters, which is 15% or sometimes less is far too low. #MusicStreamingInquiry #FixStreaming
. @DamianHinds interestingly thinks streaming platforms should get less than 30% of revenue. Graham of @IvorsAcademy says his focus is on the division of the 70% to rights owners. He says it isn’t a sales model any more! Streams aren’t downloads. #FixStreaming
Graham tells @CommonsDCMS that a stream should be treated as ‘communication to the public’, like a broadcast, not ‘making available’ which allows labels to keep most of their share and not share it fairly with artists. This is the key issue! #MusicStreamingInquiry
Horace agrees that streaming is like a modern radio broadcast. For us, this means revenue should go through @PPLUK and be shared between labels & artists 50/50. At the moment the label keeps over 70% of what they get. Not enough reaches musicians. #FixStreaming
Horace says it is no longer possible for the vast majority of musicians to make a living from recorded music. ‘You can only make a living from recorded music if you work for a label.’ #MusicStreamingInquiry #FixStreaming
Graham of @IvorsAcademy explains the value gap, where YouTube benefit from ‘parasitic growth’. They benefit from music but don’t pay rights-holders fairly. The price of Spotify is also kept down because of YouTube being free. - NP
Horace says the problem is the lack of trickle down to artists. We support addressing the YouTube problem but unless deals improve, or the system changes, this won’t benefit musicians. #MusicStreamingInquiry #FixStreaming
Graham of @IvorsAcademy says music publishing pays out at 80%. Labels pay far less out. On the publishing side, we have @PRSforMusic which is regulated but on the performer side labels do direct deals (and aren’t regulated). We see a role for @PPLUK to make the system fairer - NP
Horace says ‘streaming doesn’t pay anything to session musicians’. They get the upfront session fee and that’s it. @PPLUK royalties are a vital lifeline for session players. We want something like equitable remuneration on streaming. #MusicStreamingInquiry
Horace says yes we are paying a lobbying firm to help us with messaging for this vital inquiry. We have to try everything! This is such a key issue for our members. We need to #FixStreaming. @MrJohnNicolson praises his authenticity.
Horace talks about artists who signed deals before music streaming. Some of them don’t get paid because labels can’t find them. He refers to Dolly Parton not getting her royalties because the label claimed they couldn’t find her!! #MusicStreamingInquiry #FixStreaming
This is another key point for us! @PPLUK is regulated and held to certain standards. They must try to find people they hold money for. Labels aren’t regulated and aren’t obliged to keep to the same standards. #MusicStreamingInquiry #FixStreaming
Horace says ‘talent is everywhere but opportunity isn’t’; he’s concerned that it’s hard to get a foothold in the music industry now if you don’t have a ‘bank of mum & dad’. This is something we are keen to address in bolstering music education in the UK. #MusicStreamingInquiry
. @KevinBrennanMP refers to songwriters selling their copyright. Dolly Parton keeping the rights to ‘I will always love you’ - what a great business decision that was. @DollyParton is the unexpected star of today’s #MusicStreamingInquiry sessions. -NP
Graham of @IvorsAcademy refers to ‘black box income’. His view is that this money shouldn’t be paid out on a market share basis as it benefits the top tier of labels & artists who are already getting the lion’s share. #MusicStreamingInquiry - NP
We agree that this money is more likely to belong to artists lower down the food chain whose music may not have the same level of metadata in place. #MusicStreamingInquiry #FixStreaming - NP
I think @grahamidaviesuk & Horace did a cracking job of getting across all the points we wanted to make on streaming economics on behalf of musicians & creators. Looking forward to seeing the @CommonsDCMS report in due course. - NP
YouTube are now defending ‘safe harbour’ which is universally hated by the music industry because it leads to low licence fees from YouTube and other user generated platforms in comparison to properly licensed @Spotify and others - NP #MusicStreamingInquiry
. @KevinBrennanMP asks @SoundCloud about user centric royalty distribution. They are working to make fairer payments to artists. They would need label and publisher buy-in if they wanted to roll out user centric (which we think is fairer) - NP #FixStreaming
Katherine of YouTube rejects the notion of the value gap. She says rights-holders in 95% of cases are happy first their music to be on YouTube. Not in our experience! We think they should pay better for copyright material they host. - NP
. @AlexDaviesJones is so spot on, asking what share of copyright infringements are identified & notified by platforms and what share are notified by rights-holders. YouTube claim 98% is identified by them using content ID. #MusicStreamingInquiry
But how many independent artists have the resources to monitor infringements of their work on YouTube?! No chance! It’s one thing for the majors to do that but unrepresented musicians just can’t. - NP
. @MrJohnNicolson asks the platforms how streaming economics could be improved to benefit artists. Katherine of YouTube refers to the data problem in the music industry & the lack of transparency in royalty distribution. She’s not wrong. - NP #FixStreaming
