Independent artists in the US could benefit from the revisited version of the Protect Working Musicians Act. The bill, which was first introduced in 2021, allows these musicians to negotiate fairer rates with major streaming services. However, the bill is yet to pass the US House, and it has been updated by North Carolina’s Rep. Deborah Ross. If the bill passes, artists will have the opportunity to collectively bargain for better royalty rates with platforms such as Apple Music and Spotify.
The revised iteration of the bill focuses on AI-generated music and its effects on artists. It aims to allow independent musicians to defend their work by collaborating with others to collectively bargain for royalties. AI has the potential to clone the voices of popular artists and turn their work into something else altogether. The bill’s provisions would ease the process of finding such misuse and targeting culprits. Deezer, a streaming service, is already working on detecting and deleting tracks that mimic artists’ voices and likeness.
The Protect Working Musicians Act will also aid artists to secure fair payment when working with streaming services. Currently, independent artists who attempt to negotiate face the risk of violating antitrust laws. The bill would safeguard the interest of small artists and creators who play a vital role in US culture and the economy.
A report by Ditto earlier this year revealed that Spotify pays artists $0.003 to $0.005 per stream, with the streaming service taking 30% of the revenue split. In March, Spotify faced criticism for cutting royalty payments when artists opted in for its Discovery Mode feature. In exchange for exposure, artists could pay to feature on the home page of Spotify. Nonetheless, with the current negotiations, indie artists may also secure better chances of availing fair rates, given that the proposed bill gets enacted by the US Congress
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