Nile Rodgers accused labels and streaming services of lacking transparency over revenue earned by artists and writers in the second evidence session for the U.K. Government’s inquiry into the economics of music streaming.
In the online session, Rodgers also accused streaming services of withholding money. “Every single time I've audited my partners, I find money. Every single time. And sometimes, it's staggering, the amount of money,” reports the BBC.
Rodgers argued for streams to be counted as radio broadcasts, rather than a sale. “Labels have unilaterally decided that a stream is considered a sale because it maximixes their profits,” he said. “Artists and songwriters need to update clauses in their contracts to reflect the true nature of how their songs are being consumed—which is via a license.”
Songwriter Fiona Bevan said “the most successful songwriters in the world can’t pay their rent” due to the way royalties are currently paid out. Revealing that she has earned £100 from co-writing a track on Kylie Minogue’s recent U.K. #1 album, Disco, Bevan stated: “It's becoming increasingly difficult to make a living, largely due to the huge imbalance in how music streaming pay creators.”
