Following our campaigning the Competition & Markets Authority have launched a market study into streaming and want to hear from songwriters and composers about the study’s statement of scope by 17th February.
It will look at competition between music companies, between music services, and agreements and inter-relationships between music companies and streaming services. It will help the CMA to decide whether or not to launch a full market investigation.
We will be writing to the CMA welcoming the statement of scope and emphasising important points to safeguard the interests of music creators and increase the value of the song.
We will also highlight issues not mentioned in the statement of scope:
• The extent to which publishing companies controlled by the major music groups have their hands tied as a result of the dominance of the recording arms within those groups or are able to negotiate freely with streaming services to obtain the best possible deal for the writers and composers signed to them, which may result in a reduction in the percentage of the total royalty pot flowing to the recording side.
• The role played by side agreements such as marketing and advertising tie-ups between the major music groups and streaming services in undermining the value of the underlying work and reducing payments to songwriters and composers.
Send your comments by the 17th February to the CMA: musicstreaming@cma.gov.uk. Please make your own submission welcoming the study and highlighting these two points.
All comments will be published but, as an individual you can say whether you want to be attributed or for it to be published anonymously.
