#PAYSONGWRITERS
Here's the Facts
In 2024, the global recorded music industry earned $29.6 billion. Songwriters made that success possible, yet they are excluded from compensation for recorded music.
In the United States, songwriters receive only about 15.25% of total streaming revenue, while record labels and streaming companies take 84.75%.
In some cases, artists or their representatives receive publishing shares for songs they did not write, reducing royalties for the actual songwriters.
Songwriters in the United States do not have a union to collectively bargain for fair pay, benefits, or working conditions because federal labor law classifies them as independent contractors, which legally prohibits them from unionizing under the National Labor Relations Act.
We call on record labels to take action
by implementing the following reforms:
Non-recoupable per diems for songwriting sessions and label-organized camps
Non-recoupable song fees for the first commercial use of a composition
Points on the master for songwriters’ contributions to the recorded music industry
We're following in the foot steps of The Ivors Academy of Music Creators #paysongwriters campaign.
