Over 150 musicians, including some of the U.K.’s biggest rock stars, have signed a petition sent to the country’s prime minister, Boris Johnson, calling on the government to reform the way it pays songwriters with regard to streaming royalties.
Among the many British artists who support the campaign are Paul McCartney, Roger Daltrey, David Gilmour, Peter Gabriel, Sting, Mark Knopfler, Annie Lennox and Led Zeppelin‘s Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones, as well as Stevie Nicks from the U.S.
The petition, which was organized by the U.K.-based Musician’s Union organization, charges that “[F]or too long, streaming platforms, record labels and other internet giants have exploited performers and creators without rewarding them fairly.” It seeks a change in the law that would “put the value of music back where it belongs — in the hands of music makers.”
The current copyright legislation was put in place in 1988, almost 20 years before the streaming platform Spotify was founded, and the petition claims it’s outdated and has allowed record labels to keep most of the money generated from streaming services, rather than distributing it more fairly to songwriters and musicians.
According to the BBC, the initiative launched by the Musician’s Union comes at a time when a parliamentary committee has been preparing a report on how money generated by major streaming services is being distributed.
Other artists who signed the letter include Kate Bush, Squeeze‘s Chris Difford, Boy George, The Moody Blues‘ Justin Hayward, ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, Coldplay‘s Chris Martin, The Cure‘s Robert Smith and Duran Duran‘s John Taylor.
Visit MusiciansUnion.org.uk for more details.
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