PayPerformers - Groundbreaking Open Letter by Performers Worldwide
“Artists should be remunerated, regardless how unrecouped they are in Record Label Land.”
In a groundbreaking open letter, over 150 world renowned performers are calling on Boris Johnson and the UK government to “put the value of music back where it belongs!”
“Why are Paul McCartney, Led Zeppelin, Sting, Chris Martin and Stevie Nicks demanding the UK Government ‘Fixes Streaming’?” This was the headline of a recent article in Music Business Worldwide (MBW); “The stature of the artists calling for the UK government to enforce “equitable remuneration” on streaming services just went blockbuster.
The PayPerformers campaign has called for EU member states to implement the new EU Copyright Directive and thus give performers a fair and equitable remuneration right. They have showcased the Spanish Model as a simple and only effective solution for all European countries. This calls for the equitable remuneration right to be managed by collective management societies.
MBW writes; “The mechanism by which these artists get paid is all-important: the cash owed by radio stations is paid to a collection society (PPL in the UK), which then distributes this money, 50% direct to the artist/performers, and then 50% to the record companies. This payout system is known as “equitable remuneration”, and sees money going straight into the pockets of artists regardless of how unrecouped they might be over in Record Label Land.”
The below groundbreaking open letter, obtained by MBW, has been sent to British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson. It has been penned jointly by the artist-advocate #BrokenRecord campaign, alongside the Musicians’ Union and the Ivors’ Academy (in tandem with their #FixStreaming campaign). It’s undersigned by around 150 artists, including some of the biggest global acts in existence.
Only two words need to change in the 1988 copyright, designs and patents act. This will modernise the law so that today’s performers receive a share of revenues, just like they enjoy in radio.
Open Letter
Signees of the letter include Sir Paul McCartney, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, Sting, Stevie Nicks, Annie Lennox, and the three surviving members of Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones. Other household names to sign the letter include Damon Albarn, Joan Armatrading, David Gilmour, Massive Attack, Noel Gallagher, Marianne Faithfull, Labi Siffre, and Brian Eno.
