David Byrne has long criticised the manner in which profits from streaming have been allocated to musicians.
A member of the not-for-profit organisation SoundExchange, the former Talking Head has backed the Fair Play Fair Pay Act, "which would force AM and FM stations to pay musicians when their recordings are broadcast."
In a new opinion piece for the New York Times titled 'Open the Music Industry's Black Box', the musician argues passionately against current streaming models.
David Byrne states that musicians are kept in the dark about the breakdown of monies accrued from streaming services, including some high profile, newly launched platforms.
"I asked Apple Music to explain the calculation of royalties for the trial period. They said they disclosed that only to copyright owners (that is, the labels). I have my own label and own the copyright on some of my albums, but when I turned to my distributor, the response was, "You can’t see the deal, but you could have your lawyer call our lawyer and we might answer some questions.'"
Read the full piece HERE.