Chappell Roan‘s statement at the Grammys, in which she demanded labels should provide artists with “a livable wage and health insurance,” continues to be the topic of heated debates.
The latest comes from the Ivors Academy, a London-based not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting music writers and their rights. The Ivors Academy also hosts an annual awards show that recognize the contributions of songwriters and composers, with English singer-songwriter Raye having won multiple Ivor Novello Awards in 2024, including songwriter of the year and best contemporary song.
After fighting relentlessly with her label to release her now-highly-acclaimed debut, “My 21st Century Blues,” Raye took the stage at the 2024 Ivors (and before that the Brit Awards) and used her speech to advocate for the fair compensation of songwriters and composers.
“British music industry, please — I want to have a lovely, brief conversation about normalizing [business by] giving songwriters master royalty points,” she said in May. “It means if the songs win big, the writers get to win too. Please allow that to happen — please.”
Ahead of its meeting with the UK government and Chris Bryant, minister for the creative industries and arts, the Ivors Academy is highlighting the growing challenges music creators face in earning a sustainable income.
Speaking at a government-chaired session of the Creators Remuneration Working Group on Monday, Ivors Academy Chair Tom Gray and CEO Roberto Neri called out the systemic failures affecting songwriters and composers, from declining revenues to the increasing costs of daily life.
“We’ve heard from songwriters with national radio play and strong streaming figures who still struggle to make ends meet, relying on income outside music just to get by. Our proposed reforms offer practical solutions to redress this historic imbalance, made worse by the economics of streaming,” said Neri. “A daily allowance, points on the master, fairer rewards for long-form music, a stronger voice in negotiations, and the ability to adjust contracts from coercive buyouts: these are the steps needed to secure the future of songwriting.”
At the meeting, the Ivors Academy highlighted a number of potential solutions for lawmakers:
Labels to introduce a minimum daily allowance (per diem) for songwriters’ expenses when working with artists
Labels to assign four points from the master/recording to songwriters.
Streaming services to introduce mechanisms to reward composers who produce longer works.
Streaming services to ensure the song is fairly valued by engaging in negotiations with publishers in parallel with labels.
In line with EU law, for the government to introduce contract adjustment mechanisms.
Despite a rise in percentage rates paid to songwriters, revenues have declined by 20% in real terms from 2000 to 2019, according to research from the Intellectual Property Office (IPO). In 2019, a songwriter generating one million streams per month, a milestone achieved by just 0.026% of tracks, could expect to earn only £15,288 per year. This is less than the UK’s minimum wage for full-time work.
Gray added, “Without urgent reform, earning a living from making music will become the privilege of the wealthy, rather than a possible career for all talented creators. This is a serious threat to the UK’s music industry and creative industries.”
