UK adds songwriter stipends, ups session fees 40%. Is US next?
Sony, Universal, and Warner Music have committed to new policies that mean tens of millions of new dollars for UK songwriters and musicians over the next 5 years. As the UK adds songwriter stipends, increases session fees 40% and forgives legacy contract advances, will the US follow?
Many independent UK labels are expected to make similar policy shifts.
The changes come as a result of the 2021 UK Economics of Music Streaming report which identified inequalities that particularly affect legacy artists, songwriters, and session musicians. A government-convened Creator Remuneration Working Group (CRWG) including the labels and UK trade group BPI led to the changes announced this week.
“While many more artists are succeeding and building a career in music now compared to the pre-streaming era,” BPI said in a statement. “a number of specific creator cohorts were identified during the course of the CRWG discussions as needing further support, particularly in the highly competitive global streaming landscape.”
Highlights of the new polices include:
- Disregarding unrecouped advances for pre-2000 contracts, enabling royalty payments to flow for many legacy artists who remain technically unrecouped;
- Digitizing and actively marketing deep catalog recordings to improve their discoverability on streaming platforms;
- Providing clearer, more responsive renegotiation pathways for outdated contracts, with a standard 60-day reply window to serious artist inquiries;
- Supporting emerging songwriters with travel stipends, per diems, or expense reimbursement for label-hosted writing camps;
- And a 40% increase in minimum session musician fees for pop recordings, via a revised BPI/Musicians’ Union agreement. [summary via CelebrtyAccess]
Will US labels adopt similar reforms?
These same streaming era inequities apply in the US and globally.
While not legally binding, the major changes came only after the UK government identified inequities and called for action.
So far the US government has not weighed in on streaming nor is the RIAA, the USD counterpart top the BPI, calling for change.
We’ve reached out the the RIAA for comment.
Bruce Houghton is the Founder and Editor of Hypebot, a Senior Advisor at Bandsintown, a Berklee College Of Music professor and founder of the Skyline Artists Agency
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