Rock icons The Rolling Stones have joined calls for an overhaul of the streaming landscape.
The band have added their name to the ongoing campaign, becoming the latest signature on an open letter to Boris Johnson.
Other new names on the statement include Pet Shop Boys, Yoko Ono, Tom Jones, Barry Gibb, and Jarvis Cocker, with the artists involved calling for better renumeration for artists and songwriters.
The campaign is headed up by the Musicians’ Union, Music Producers Guild, Ivors Academy and the #BrokenRecord initiative, with previous support declared from Sir Paul McCartney, Kate Bush, and the members of Led Zeppelin.
The Rolling Stones are the latest iconic name to be added to the list, with the letter arguing that DPSs such as Spotify and Apple Music should be regulated in a similar manner to radio.
The letter argues: “The law has not kept up with the pace of technological change and, as a result, performers and songwriters do not enjoy the same protections as they do in radio. Today’s musicians receive very little income from their performances – most featured artists receive tiny fractions of a US cent per stream and session musicians receive nothing at all.”
The ongoing campaign is calling for a change to the 1988 Copyright Act, allowing for royalties to be paid via a performing rights organisation. It would also want a regulator to oversee the streaming sector.
Mick Jagger is of course one of the savviest economists in rock – The Rolling Stones' record-bursting global tours are testament to the one time LSE student's financial acumen.
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