French President Emmanuel Macron has reignited the debate over payments for music streaming, raising concerns about the fairness of the current model for artists.
In a recent interview with Variety, Macron highlighted the disparity in how streaming platforms reward musicians, saying the system can be “biased” against artists with average followings. suggested.
President Emmanuel Macron said: “Today, because of music streaming services, singers do not receive their fair compensation.” “In the case of streaming, they decide to pay high fees to those who watch a lot of streams. But in music, for example, they underestimate different artists with average followings. Meanwhile, artists who suddenly get downloaded by a small number of young people over the course of a few months will be rewarded handsomely.
The French leader’s comments reflect growing concerns within the music industry about the fairness of the streaming model. Recent changes by major platforms such as Spotify, which no longer pays royalties on songs that receive fewer than 1,000 plays per year, have intensified this debate.
Luminate’s 2023 year-end music report highlights the scale of the problem, revealing that 158.6 million songs were played less than 1,000 times on audio streaming services last year.
In response to such concerns, some services are moving to “artist-centric” payment models. In partnership with Universal Music Group, Paris-based streaming service Deezer introduced a new system in France last October, offering increased royalties to artists who meet certain listener and stream criteria.
Meanwhile, Macron specifically cited French singers Etienne Dao and Barbara Plavy as examples of artists who he believes should earn more from streaming platforms. “For me, I might want to see singers like Etienne Daho and Barbara Plavy make a little bit of money at the same time as Taylor Swift so it doesn’t all become one-sided. “Today’s streamer model is skewed,” he said.
“In the case of streaming, they choose to pay high salaries to people who watch a lot of streams. But in music, for example, they underestimate different artists with average fans. ”
Emmanuel Macron, President of France
The president’s comments come nine months after France introduced a 1.2% tax on music streaming services operating in the country. The tax will go into effect in early 2024 and will apply to major platforms such as Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music and YouTube Music, and will cover both subscription and advertising revenue.
This tax is intended to fund the Center National de la Music (CNM), a quasi-governmental institution that supports various musical activities in France. These include programs such as Fonds pour la création musice (FCM), the National Center for Chanson, des Variétés et du Jazz (CNV), CALIF, and the French Music Export Agency.
Senator Julian Bergeton, who proposed the tax in 2023, said it was a measure to protect French culture in an increasingly digital and globally influenced music landscape.
Music streaming companies have slammed the tax, with former Deezer CEO Jerónimo Folgueira calling it “a worst outcome that will backfire and have a negative impact on the entire French music industry.” ” he said.
After the tax went into effect, Spotify increased its subscription prices in France and, in particular, withdrew funding from two festivals, Francofolie de la Rochelle and Printemps de Bourges, which would affect the French music sector. began to “withdraw investments” from
Although the French president did not propose any concrete solutions in the interview, his comments suggest that the issue of fair compensation in the streaming era remains a priority for his administration.
The president’s latest comments come as France is leading the drafting of the EU’s AI law, the first law to regulate artificial intelligence. “Artificial intelligence will revolutionize many fields, from medicine to energy, for better or for worse,” Macron told Variety. There is a race to innovate, and we must join in. ”
Macron highlighted the AI Action Summit to be held in February and emphasized France’s role in shaping AI regulation.
“The idea is to support and invest in technology, but you also need rules and regulations. We need them, but to be effective they have to be global and appropriate. “We need to consider this at a pace that is appropriate,” the president said.
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