Lawmakers Sheffield And Tlaib Call On Congress To Guarantee Fair Pay For American Musicians

Detroit's Mayor-elect and City Council President, Mary Sheffield, has partnered with U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib to address concerns regarding the insufficient compensation artists receive from record companies. Recently, Tlaib reinstated the Living Wage for Musicians Act, which aims to enhance earnings for musicians when their songs are streamed. This proposed legislation seeks to establish a new streaming royalty, ensuring a fairer share of revenue for artists whose music is played on digital platforms.Currently, musicians are compensated with mere fractions of a cent per stream. Tlaib highlighted that achieving a sustainable income is increasingly challenging under these circumstances. With streaming accounting for a staggering 84% of recorded music revenue in 2024, the disparity in earnings from platforms like Spotify and Apple Music becomes evident. The bill proposes a redistribution of streaming revenues to create a nonprofit fund that compensates artists based on their monthly streaming performance, addressing the economic gaps affecting artists of all sizes.

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