Streaming services are notorious for underpaying their artists and leaving them desperate for streams. For example, platforms like Spotify only pay their musicians “around $0.003-$0.005 per stream.” This is not enough for artists to survive off their music creation, let alone thrive within this industry. However, US Representative Rashida Tlaib has recently introduced a new bill named “The Living Wage For Musicians Act.” This bill affects how much an artist will be paid per stream which in turn, greatly benefits musicians.
This new bill states that musicians with songs on streaming services must be paid at least one penny per stream. It also introduces the idea of putting a cap on how much an artist can be paid once their song reaches one million streams. These royalties would be funded by subscription fees and a 10% tax on “non-subscription revenue.” The Living Wage For Musicians Act has been mathematically calculated to ensure that a working-class artist can make a living off of their streams. The cap put in place will also provide a more fair distribution of payments.
Overall, this bill was proposed to aid musicians and make their work a bit easier. Tlaib states, “Streaming has changed the music industry, but it’s leaving countless artists struggling to make ends meet… It’s only right that the people who create the music we love get their fair share, so that they can thrive, not just survive.”
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