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upstart writes:

UK Parliament calls for 50/50 streaming royalties split between artists and record labels:

In an attempt to ensure fair pay for musicians, UK parliament members are asking the music industry to give artists a higher cut of profits earned from streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify.

United Kingdom government officials are looking to change the way musicians get paid, citing concerns over how streaming funds are distributed. The government had launched the inquiry into streaming service payouts in October of 2020.

According to the BBC, Spotify pays artists between GBP 0.002 ($0.0028) and GBP 0.0038 ($0.0053) per stream. Apple Music pays about GBP 0.0059 ($0.0082.) YouTube pays even less — about GBP 0.00052 ($0.00072) per stream.

There is some discrepancy in the findings, though, as in April Apple claimed it pays a penny per stream

According to the UK government's findings, artists receive about 13% of the revenue they make off their music, with the rest of the money going toward record labels and distributors. Artists who release their own music or work with independent labels tend to get a higher share, though many of these artists have a more difficult time getting their music in front of potential fans.

Government officials argue that the split should be 50/50 between artists and "rights holders," which has been the established rate for radio play.

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