Kate Nash stands to be the latest musician to speak out against the ‘music-streaming model’, saying the pay received by musicians is less than adequate.
Nash took to her twitter account to voice her concerns over the unfair payments received by musicians and urging fellow musicians, “to stand up for the working class musicians who can’t afford to keep going even though they have millions of streams on Spotify. It is unethical. Music is not a club for the rich.”
We have to stand by our working class peers without a modeling career/branding deal/side career that funds their music. Plus we have to stop pretending that exposure means we should just be grateful & quiet. Music is a real job that deserves fair pay. It’s simple.
— Kate Nash (@katenash) January 17, 2021
She went on to say, “Pre pandemic musicians have been too busy touring & working to deal with the fact they/we aren’t paid fairly. We’ve got to stop worrying about the consequences of speaking up, the more of us that do it, the harder it is for them to ignore us”.
“Live music was one of the most missed things in 2020 & continues to be in 2021. The value of music has never been more obvious. It’s time for regulations in our industry. Music is not a club for the rich, it is for all & it is a real job that demands fair pay”.
Live music was one of the most missed things in 2020 & continues to be in 2021. The value of music has never been more obvious. It’s time for regulations in our industry. Music is not a club for the rich, it is for all & it is a real job that demands fair pay. #BrokenRecord
— Kate Nash (@katenash) January 17, 2021
Nash further spoke out against the system of the music industry, and tweeted, “Plus more cuts if you’re signed to a label. Fans want to support fans so the current system doesn’t serve the artist or the fan. It serves a couple of huge artists, major labels and Spotify who make billions from advertising.”
Plus more cuts if you’re signed to a label. Fans want to support fans so the current system doesn’t serve the artist or the fan. It serves a couple of huge artists, major labels and Spotify who make billions from advertising.
— Kate Nash (@katenash) January 17, 2021
Concerns over the streaming platforms became more prominent after a committee of MPs inquired into the economic impact the music streaming model, and the streaming giants like Spotify, Apple Music had on artists, and content creators, in the month of October 2020, and found out that the revenue generated from music streams in the UK in the year 2019, reached over one billion pounds, yet that “artists can be paid as little as 13% of the income generated”.
Nash’s comments come shortly after Radiohead’s member, O’Brien said, “Young musicians who rely on live income are really going to struggle” in light of the current pandemic and the lockdowns in place.
