Justice at Spotify

Thurston Moore, Julia Holter, Guy Picciotto & more sign "Justice at Spotify" petition

The Union of Musicians and Allied Workers, which formed earlier this year, is launching a new campaign asking for increased royalty payments, and more transparency, from Spotify. Justice at Spotify has been signed by over 600 musicians, bands and others, including Algiers, Amber Coffman, Anika Pyle, Big Ups, Cassandra Jenkins, Diet Cig, girlinred, DIIV, Discwoman, Dougie Poole, Downtown Boys, Emily Reo, Emily Yacina, Eve 6, Ezra Furman, Field Mouse, Flasher, Frankie Cosmos, Gabby’s World, gobbinjr, Guerilla Toss, Guy Picciotto Half Waif, Harry and the Potters, Heather Trost, Illuminati Hotties, Jay Som, Joanna Sternberg, Julia Holter, Katie Von Schleicher, Lady Lamb, Landlady, Lina Tullgren, Luke Temple, Mary Lattimore, Mega Bog, Moor Mother, New Bomb Turks, Olden Yolk, Owen Ashworth, Petal, Pictureplane, Pile, Pinegrove, Pinkwash, Quintron and Miss Pussycat, Radiator Hospital, Remember Sports, Retirement Party, Roger Harvey, Sad13, Saintseneca, Sammus, Sasami, Saul Williams, SAVAK, Sheer Mag, Shellshag, Speedy Ortiz, Spencer Tweedy, Tanya Donelly, The Blow, Thurston Moore, Tiny Hazard, Title Fight, Tweens, War on Women, Yohuna, Zola Jesus, and more. Here’s what it says:

Spotify is the most dominant platform on the music streaming market. The company behind the streaming platform continues to accrue value, yet music workers everywhere see little more than pennies in compensation for the work they make.

With the entire live music ecosystem in jeopardy due to the coronavirus pandemic, music workers are more reliant on streaming income than ever. We are calling on Spotify to deliver increased royalty payments, transparency in their practices, and to stop fighting artists.

What We Are Asking For

  • Pay us at least one cent per stream
  • Adopt a user-centric payment model
  • Make all closed-door contracts public
  • Reveal existing payola, then end it altogether
  • Credit all labor in recordings
  • End legal battles intended to further impoverish artists

You can see their full list of demands, and sign the campaign, at unionofmusicians.org.

Many artists criticized Spotify this summer after CEO Daniel Ek said, in an interview, that musicians needed to release more music, more often, to make money. “You can’t record music once every three to four years and think that’s going to be enough,” he said.