Songwriters Jessi Alexander, Amy Allen, Jessie Jo Dillon and RAYE will not compete in Spotify’s Songwriter of the Year Awards, scheduled for January 28 Allen and Dillon cited Spotify’s treatment of songwriters as the reason for their absence. As a result, four of the five nominees in the Songwriter of the Year category at this year’s Grammy Awards will opt out of the event. (5th Representative Edgar Barrera has not yet responded advertising billboardRequest for comment.
Ellen (Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso,” Harry Styles’ “Love,” and Tate McCrea’s “Greedy”) and Dillon (Dan Shay’s “One Representative of “Ten Thousand Hours”, Morgan Warren’s “Lies Lies” and “Am I”)? advertising billboard They all decided not to participate because Spotify lowered paid streaming royalties for songwriters and publishers last April. advertising billboard This is expected to result in a decrease in royalties of $150 million over a 12-month period compared to a scenario where royalty rates had not been reallocated.
Spotify believes it qualifies for lower mechanical royalty rates for songwriters and publishers because it has added audiobooks to its premium subscription tiers and reclassified the services into “bundles,” which are one price Includes a variety of services. Now, royalties originally offered only to songwriters and publishers are split between music and audiobook fees.
“After careful consideration and the way they bundle royalties, I cannot in good conscience support this move,” Dillon said in a statement. billboard. “It’s great to get personal credit, but it’s even better for me and my entire community of songwriters to get paid fairly for our art. Without songwriters there would be no songs.
A rep for RAYE (RAYE’s “Escapism,” Sam Smith & Normani’s “Dancing with Strangers,” One Republic’s “Secrets”) said the singer/songwriter never committed to attending or appearing at the event mid-show, so “nothing” but she added that RAYE has been “an outspoken advocate on behalf of songwriters’ rights, sparking industry-wide conversations on the topic.” A rep for Alexander (Luke Combs “No Love in Oklahoma” by Cyrus, “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus, “You, Me & Whiskey” by Justin Moore and Priscilla Bullock) confirmed advertising billboard She will not attend the event but did not provide a reason for withdrawing.
A Spotify representative declined. advertising billboard Request to comment.
Spotify has launched its Grammy Songwriter of the Year campaign to celebrate the nominees for the prestigious writing award established in 2023 by the Recording Academy. The artist is in a room full of peers.
Other songwriters took to social media to express their disappointment with Spotify’s upcoming event after receiving “Save the Dates” from Spotify. composer rossgolan Via Instagram Stories, “If you’re a songwriter, you can’t attend this event. Don’t let Spotify tie you up and give you free booze.” 2023 Grammy Songwriter of the Year nominee Laura Veltz said on her own “Spotify is taking your money. Songwriter: Don’t fall in love with this horse – “
In April 2024, Spotify will officially offer audiobooks as a service on its premium plans, including Premium, Family, and Duo plans. By adding audiobooks, the streaming service claims it is now eligible to pay songwriters a so-called “bundled” discounted rate for premium, duo and family-level streaming content.
At the time, a Spotify representative said that “changes to our product portfolio mean we will pay differently based on the terms that streaming services and publishers agree to,” adding that it would reclassify premium plans into bundles. Decisions are “unanimous” and “multiple” [other] DSP. Other competitors like Apple Music and Amazon Music do offer bundled products, including Amazon bundling Prime and Amazon Music, and Apple bundling Apple Music and Apple News, but Spotify’s move to bundle its popular premium services together has produced more has a greater impact because Spotify is the most popular streaming service in the United States, and the premium version is widely used.
“Spotify expects to pay publishers and associations more in 2024 than it did in 2023,” a Spotify representative added at the time. Citing the company’s Loud and Clear report, he said the streaming company had paid publishers, PROs and Collecting societies paid out nearly $4 billion.
The National Music Publishers Association (NMPA), the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) and many songwriters are not taking the news lightly. MLC filed a lawsuit against Spotify in May this year, claiming that the streamer “improperly” categorized its premium content into bundles. NMPA CEO/President david israel Spotify has “stated[d] Waging a “war” on songwriters and launching a multi-faceted attack, including issuing cease-and-desist orders for unlicensed lyrics, videos and podcast content; unveiling proposed legislation; and filing complaints with the Federal Trade Commission and nine other consumer trade groups .
Israelite also expressed his displeasure with Spotify’s annual Songwriters Party, posting on Instagram: “Is this a joke? Spotify has declared war on songwriters. Is trying to rob them of the money they pay them. Is being sued by MLC. They Think they can throw a party in honor of the songwriter? Actually, I’m not. Arrogant. Retweet this and add your own words.
