Major boost for UK music creators as government drives industry to produce new measures to support legacy artists, songwriters and session musicians
*Changes estimated by labels to deliver tens of millions of pounds in new investment to support musicians by 2030, rewarding artists for their work and driving growth through Plan for Change *Agreement backed by UK arms of major labels Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group
UK music creators are set to benefit from a boost to their earnings thanks to the Government driving forward a new label-led agreement on streaming pay agreed today (Tuesday 22nd July).
The Creator Remuneration Working Group (CRWG), chaired by Creative Industries Minister Sir Chris Bryant, has been meeting regularly since 2024 to explore industry-led action - driving growth in the creative industries as part of the Government's Plan for Change.
This process has delivered a set of measures designed to boost the earnings of legacy artists, songwriters and session musicians and marks a further step towards ensuring the music streaming market works for everyone, on top of existing industry programmes.
The principles include a new framework for the renegotiation of contracts by artists who signed record deals before streaming became commonplace, in addition to support for the digitisation of their back catalogues so that it can be made available online. This aims to help legacy artists to increase their streaming earnings for their existing body of work.
Support for songwriters and composers includes a commitment to the payment of per diems and expenses for recording sessions, to ensure they are not left out of pocket.
The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and Musicians' Union also agreed to an uplift in session musician fees of up to 40% for pop sessions and 15% for classical to ensure they are more fairly paid for their work.
The agreed principles have been adopted by the BPI and Association of Independent Music (AIM) and recommended to their UK members. The UK divisions of Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group, the world's three largest labels, have also committed to delivering them.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said:
Streaming has totally revolutionised how audiences discover and enjoy music, and how artists connect with their fans across the globe.
But we have heard loud and clear from creators that more needs to be done to ensure they are fairly compensated when their work is used on streaming platforms.
That is why I am delighted that the industry has agreed these new measures, which will go a long way to making sure our talented artists and creators are properly rewarded for their hard work, while driving growth through our Plan for Change.
Creative Industries Minister Sir Chris Bryant said:
Everyone loves music and it's about time we really valued the people who create it. Millions of us use music streaming platforms who provide a fantastic service to their customers, connecting users with a wealth of music from around the world.
But many musicians and songwriters are really struggling and artists simply don't think they receive their fair share of the profit generated by their work on these platforms. These new measures, which apply specifically in the UK, are an important step in ensuring creators are fairly paid for their work.
I would like to thank the sector for coming together to drive this positive progress, which will benefit the music industry as a whole.
Roberto Neri, CEO of Ivors Academy, said:
We welcome and wish to thank Minister Bryant for the introduction of per diems for songwriters and his support in securing this agreement. There is no music industry without songwriters and these payments will ensure that songwriters are not out of pocket when turning up to work. We look forward to working together over the next 12 months to assess how this package benefits music makers and ensuring that all creators share in the success of streaming remuneration.
The Government will support industry to deliver these measures in full, in order to improve conditions for UK music makers. The impact of the measures will be monitored and reviewed in a year's time, working closely with members of the group to understand the extent to which they are improving creator earnings as intended.
The Government will then assess the need for further intervention, to ensure this package delivers on its objective to bring about real change for creators.
Labels estimate these changes will deliver tens of millions of pounds in new investment to support creators by 2030, which will help drive growth in the creative industries as part of the Government's Plan for Change.
The Government has also committed to continuing to look at the issue of streaming pay for session musicians and has convened a meeting in September with key organisations from the music industry to take this forward.
Further quotes
The Council Of Music Makers said:
We greatly appreciate the efforts of the Government in seeking to improve the streaming economy for music-makers. Minister Chris Bryant has dedicated a great deal of time and resources trying to agree creator-friendly terms with the BPI and major labels, in an attempt to address unfair remuneration. Over the next year, we will work in good faith to support music-makers to test these initiatives and whether they can deliver meaningful change.
We will work closely with the Government during the one year monitoring of these measures. In 2021 Parliament's Culture, Media & Sport Select Committee raised several fundamental issues regarding the streaming business model, calling for 'a complete reset'. The Council Of Music Makers remains committed to achieving this objective and reaching a fairer settlement for all music-makers and we will now collectively pursue additional legislative measures to achieve positive change for those that create the work our industry is built on.
Sophie Jones, Chief Strategy Officer at the BPI, said:
After five years of detailed scrutiny and analysis, we are pleased to put in place these creator remuneration principles for UK labels in response to specific concerns identified in the UK's streaming debate. Many more artists are succeeding in the era of streaming than before - and we are confident that these targeted measures will lead to positive and sustainable outcomes and support for legacy artists, songwriters and session musicians, ensuring that our members' significant ongoing investment into the development of British talent and the growth of our world leading UK music industry will be to the benefit of all. This has been a collaborative process and we are grateful to our members and fellow trade organisations for their expertise and to Minister Chris Bryant and the DCMS officials for their stewardship of this process.
Baron Brennan of Canton, former Chair of the DCMS Select Committee which launched the inquiry into the Economics of Music Streaming, said:
Protecting the dignity of British songwriters by putting money in their pockets for writing sessions is a real first, and greater transparency over artist renegotiation is most welcome. I commend Minister Bryant for all his efforts. Further progress is needed on streaming but I'm encouraged by the Minister's commitment to pursue progress through further talks this autumn on session musician income from streaming.
