Recognition

Professionals and non-professionals alike deserve recognition for their contribution to the music sector and society at large.

Acknowledgement of the value of one’s work, both in creative and financial terms, is a crucial issue in music, not least because it sets the scene for the sector’s future. With the digital shift, new systems for remuneration have emerged and a large number of players have come on board. The result is that it has become challenging to see clearly all the way up and down the value chain. This opacity can lead to resentment, with some feeling unfairly remunerated while others are frustrated by a lack of understanding about the role they play in the music world. The music sector is exploring solutions to these issues, in particular ones that are technology-driven.

The music sector also encompasses a vast number of non-professionals and volunteers whose contribution to the music world is vitally important. While remuneration is not the key issue here, their work merits equal recognition and support, for the music sector could not function without it.

Priorities

  • Ensure transparency and a balance through the value chain (including across borders)
  • Recognise the value of authors’ and performers’ work through fair remuneration and social protection schemes, empowering them to negotiate from a more equitable position
  • Recognise the value of all contributors to creation (both music professionals and non-professionals)
  • Acknowledge the contribution of music venues and live events to European cultural diversity and cross-border circulation
  • Increase awareness of authors’ and performers’ rights

Suggested Measures

  • Monitor any situations leading to a “value gap” – a term describing the difference in revenue between what some streaming services collect for music, and what the rights-holders receive – and legislate if necessary
  • Re-examine the duties and remuneration models of content-sharing platforms and intermediaries and legislate to ensure fairness
  • Find feasible solutions for internet platforms and intermediaries and users to respect authors’ rights across borders
  • Recognise that music venues (e.g. clubs, festivals) contribute to culture (not just “entertainment”) and allow them to access funding and/or beneficial tax regimes
  • Foster more crossover between professionals and non-professionals through knowledge-sharing, training and collaborative projects
  • Launch the creation (in some countries) and enshrine social protection for musicians and other stakeholders of the sector
  • Provide access to financing for all contributors to creation
  • Ensure that all workers in the music sector enjoy the right to collective bargaining, irrespective of their working relationship