Thread by @WeAreTheMU

This is MU Deputy General Secretary @NaomiPohl! I am taking over @WeAreTheMU for the next few hours for a @CommonsDCMS #MusicStreamingInquiry tweetalong. Sessions start at 10am. This is why it matters: musiciansunion.org.uk/Home/News/2020… #FixStreaming

Catch up with some of the highlights from the first #MusicStreamingInquiry sessions looking at creators’ experiences musiciansunion.org.uk/Home/News/2020… as well as Equitable Remuneration & transparency musiciansunion.org.uk/Home/News/2020… #FixStreaming - NP

Today we will hear from @nilerodgers @sowetokinch & @fionabevan about why the song should receive more than 10-15% of streaming revenue and how the economics of music streaming aren't working for many musicians. We can #fixstreaming! - NP

Also really looking forward to hearing the perspective of music publisher Maria Forte who has insight into streaming royalty distribution & the manager's viewpoint from @kwamekwaten who is an @MMFUK member

And last but definitely not least, we will hear about how equitable remuneration works for musicians in Spain from José Luis Sevillano of @aieartistas - NP

Maria Forte explains that streaming is a licence, it's a sync licence: "I don't understand how a royalty applied to a stream is happening".

This is an argument that was made in a court case by Eminem. If streaming was treated as a licence, artists would get a 50% royalty from the label instead of the 10-30% they often get now. We can #FixStreaming - NP

.@kwamekwaten argues that we need an industry roundtable negotiation to sort out the economics of music streaming. "We need to be locked in a room until we've sorted it out!" He also highlights that songwriters in particular are not getting a fair share #MusicStreamingInquiry

Jose Luis of @aieartistas explains how streaming revenue is currently divided up. He says @PPLUK do an amazing job and could distribute equitable remuneration to UK musicians, like happens in Spain, including to "session musicians who are currently getting zero". - NP

Maria Forte says YouTube is a problem: "Music streaming platforms are competing with free". This is the value gap @UK_Music have been lobbying to sort out for years - YouTube should pay appropriate licence fees for music or their business model can easily undercut @Spotify - NP

Jose Luis of @aieartistas says there is a value gap with YouTube but there is also a value gap with the economics of paid-for music streaming as there should be a guaranteed income stream for musicians.

Maria Forte talks about the unfair elements of artists' contracts that were negotiated pre-digital, for example she says "I don't understand how breakage can be applied to streaming!"; breakage deducations were traditionally applied where CDs and vinyl were broken in transit.

.@DamianHinds asks how what consumers pay for music streaming stacks up against CD sales. Maria replies "I think they are paying less, its an all you can eat system." "There was a lot more product [in the physical market] and now for £9.99 you can have anything you want".

This is part of the problem although record labels are making massive profits from streaming, so the crux of the issue is the lack of trickle-down to musicians. It comes down to unfair deals, not enough value for the song and no guaranteed income stream for performers. - NP

Maria Forte explains how streaming revenue negotiations go: "The major labels are obviously the first port of call as they have the biggest catalogue and aligned to them are their major publisher arms." By the time the independents get in there, it's too late.

If the major labels negotiate first, of course they get the best deals and the biggest share and everyone else has to fight over what's left. This affects the value of the song and the share that goes to independent artists and labels etc. - NP

Maria also says "Streaming services go live without the correct agreements in place" which means delayed distribution of royalties to artists and songwriters. She says "It is a key point which needs to be addressed." #MusicStreamingInquiry #FixStreaming

Maria explains that data in the industry needs to be improved to ensure all artists and writers get paid "Not all labels provide song metadata and this needs to happen for back catalogue too" "The industry needs to work together... to get some of these blockages out of the way".

Jose Luis of @aieartistas tells @KevinBrennanMP that equitable remuneration via a collecting society is the most efficient way to guarantee a royalty for musicians from streaming. #MusicStreamingInquiry #FixStreaming

Jose Luis adds that in Spain the equitable remuneration collected by @aieartistas just goes to musicians, it isn't shared with labels like broadcasting royalties are here #MusicStreamingInquiry

.@KevinBrennanMP asks why all music streaming platforms offer the same product, unlike Netflix and Amazon etc. Maria says record labels deliver their whole catalogue to all streaming platforms as they want to maximise their income.

He asks if this has a price fixing effect. Interesting! The price of Spotify Premium hasn't gone up in over a decade and this is something @MrTomGray has highlighted through the #BrokenRecord campaign - NP