What Songwriters Deserve
In a nutshell, songwriters deserve financial compensation for the work they provide. The songs that float through the ether into the ears of the public have their origin site in the mind’s eye of the songwriter. Each note is fashioned by the songwriter, each word chosen carefully. Without those who create the songs, the world over would be devoid of the universal language of music.
Inherently, the audience understands that. That is why people develop parasocial relationships with artists. It is the reason that people get lyrics tattoo’d upon themselves. Fans know that the writers who pen their songs are deserving of respect, not just in the metaphorical sense but in the literal, financial sense as well.
The business of music has strayed from this reality. Tech giants like Spotify and Apple have, for years, underpaid songwriters. Despite a government mandated adjustment in royalty rates in 2017 from 10.5% of revenue to 15.1% of revenue, legal disputes have prevented the institution of this raise. As the appeals process drags on, songwriters are collecting 1/3 less revenue than they should be. In addition, digital radio currently pays out artists 6 dollars for every 1 dollar paid out to songwriters. Traditional radio splits revenue 50/50 between the artist + songwriters. This discrepancy leaves less money in songwriters’ pockets. David Israelite is one of the preeminent lawyers advocating for songwriter’s financial well-being. Read his recent interview with Songwriter Universe to learn more about these issues.
Its difficult to not feel frustrated by today’s financial realities for songwriters. The antagonists to our financial well-being are so powerful and the tools at our disposal to negotiate change are limited. That is why I advocate for things like a songwriter’s union that can collectively bargain on behalf of songwriters with tech giants. It is also why I encourage songwriter’s to ask artists for a portion of the master - supplementary income is necessary as we wade through this financial mess created by big tech. Artists should feel compelled to help out their peers by cutting in songwriters on a portion of the master, especially if they are independent. Of course, songwriters need to begin that conversations for themselves and establish master-sharing as a new normal in the music industry.
I hope these issues can get resolved quickly and that songwriters can once again reap the fruits of their labor.
