#JusticeAtSpotify: A Year in Review
Since we started the #JusticeAtSpotify campaign last year, a lot has happened. We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished so far and as this year comes to a close, we’re more energized than ever to take our campaign even further. Here is a short list of highlights from this past year:
30,000 musicians, allied workers, and music fans from all over the world have signed on to our demands
We delivered our demands in-person to Spotify Headquarters in 15 different cities on an organized day of action
We forced Spotify to respond to our demands and despite them trying to discredit our campaign, we remain in control of the narrative
The #JusticeAtSpotify campaign started with a central tenet: Music workers perform the labor and create the wealth that Spotify enjoys, and therefore we deserve to be fairly compensated, credited, and respected. As more than 30,000 people have signed on to our demands, we’re clearly not alone in this thinking. We are proud to share that the unification of music workers around the globe has created enough of a stir to catalyze the following exciting developments:
The UN has released a massive study on streaming economy, calling for a new royalty that would be paid directly to musicians.
the UK has performed a full blown Parliamentary inquiry into streaming led by a highly influential #BrokenRecord campaign
Through our organizing efforts pushing members of congress on this issue, Spotify was sent an oversight letter from the house judiciary
We were invited to participate in a round table with US congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and have engaged her office to continue supporting us and our demands
Looking ahead, we will continue to work to affect change by harnessing the power of music workers to influence lawmakers and create real change in the industry. We will also work to pursue the option of an additional royalty as proposed by the UN. To do this, we need your support. Please encourage others to sign on to our demands. Follow our campaign for updates and look out for new calls to action. Because despite these gains, the exploitation of musicians and allied workers unfortunately remains unchanged. We know we deserve to be paid fairly for our valuable work, and therefore, we must continue to demand a say in how Spotify funds are distributed. We will no longer tolerate being excluded from the conversations that determine how much of the streaming pie we are entitled to.
In closing, we’re proud to confirm that organizing works. We’ve made huge inroads towards the goals we outlined in 2020 and remain optimistic that the balance of power is shifting in our favour. And as we continue to focus our effort on achieving #JusticeAtSpotify, we’ve also found inspiration in dreaming up alternative models for music distribution:
Library Streaming Apps
Nationalized municipal streaming
Artist Cooperatives
These are just some of the new models we’re excited about. As long as we stay engaged and work together to carve out a music industry that benefits its most vulnerable and important workers, the possibilities are endless!
xo
UMAW