DCMS Committee: Evidence session: Economics of music streaming - Jan 19

Senior executives from Sony Music, Warner Music and Universal Music will face questions from the DCMS Committee in the third session of its inquiry into the economics of music streaming.

MPs are expected to focus on the benefit to market-dominant labels from the production and licensing of streamed music, addressing underlying issues which have led to calls for a review of the distribution of streaming revenues in a more equitable way.

The Committee will also examine licensing arrangements for song copyright with evidence from PRS for Music on collective licensing, and PPL which covers recording copyright for TV, radio and online broadcast but not streamed music.

Evidence sessions to date have heard from artists and performers about the impact of streaming, among them songwriter and producer Nile Rodgers in the second session, and Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien, Elbow front man Guy Garvey and soloist Nadine Shah at the first hearing.

In December, Committee Chair Julian Knight released a statement concerning potential witnesses who might be deterred from coming forward because of fears that action would be taken against them.

Witnesses 10.00

Panel 1:

• Andrea Martin, CEO, PRS for Music
• Peter Leathem, CEO, PPL UK (Phonographic Performance Limited)

Panel 2, from 10.45:

• David Joseph, Chairman and CEO, Universal Music UK & Ireland

• Jason Iley, Chairman and CEO, Sony Music UK & Ireland
• Tony Harlow, CEO, Warner Music UK

Notes to editors:

The DCMS Committee’s inquiry into the economics of streaming was launched on 15 October 2020. Music streaming in the UK brings in more than £1 billion in revenue with 114 billion music streams in the last year, however artists can be paid as little as 13% of the income generated.