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The MU represents and advises musicians working across the music industry. From individual music sector to touring abroad and advice for music users, we’ve got you covered.
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How are musicians paid for music streaming and what could a fair deal look like? MU General Secretary Naomi Pohl explains…
Music streaming revenue is distributed roughly as follows:
The record label will pay signed artists according to their contracts. However, we think that many contracts are outdated and unfair – and that public and political opinion on this issue is on our side.
A post shared by Musicians' Union (@wearethemu)
You can see it in our latest video on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube; we asked people what they thought of how music streaming royalties are split and they had very strong reactions to it.
There are many reasons why musicians are missing out. Most artists' contracts were signed before streaming became the usual way for people to access music. Many are on low royalty rates, much lower than the modern 30%.
Many artists receive no streaming royalties because they have never 'recouped' financial advances they received or the costs of making the recording.
These may be reasons why an artist like Lily Allen makes more money from foot videos on OnlyFans than she makes from Spotify.
And while traditional broadcast radio pays guaranteed royalties to featured and non-featured artists, streaming doesn't. That means session players don’t get paid for the streaming of their work at all.
When we talk about recouping financial advances, we’re talking about ALL the costs of recording, marketing and distributing a recording that must be paid back by the artist out of their share of royalties.
No wonder many artists never achieve this! The label in these cases is keeping all the revenue and can be in substantial profit long before the signed artist receives a penny.
It's that time of year again! Your music streaming #wrapped is ready. What do you think of ours? Share this video #FixStreaming Video description: yellow, blue and purple graphics featuring circles, stripes and waves on a black background. Text says: "It's that time of year again! Your Streaming Wrapped is ready! Are you? It doesn't matter how many minutes you listened to, your favourite artists are not being paid fairly from music streaming. Luckily we took notes too. Royalties unwrapped: platform 30%, label 55%, music publisher 15%, artist ?!% *how much each artist gets depends on their label and contract. What about session players? 0% Oh! Looks like we have company…" A white frame appears featuring a clip of Musicians' Union General Secretary Naomi Pohl. She's at Labour Party Conference, established by a big red banner that says "Change begins" followed by Naomi talking to camera. She's wearing a white top and black cardigan and is standing in front of a black, yellow and white stand backdrop that says "We Are The M U" and "behind every musician" in all caps.
Songwriters and composers receive a 70-80% royalty from the music publisher usually, but the share of overall revenue that goes to the publisher is only 15%.
The MU is currently sitting around the table with major labels, Council of Music Makers and industry stakeholders as part of the government-convened Creator Remuneration Working Group.
Its purpose is to bring the music industry together to come to a better deal for musicians and music creators – with legislation on the cards if no agreement is reached.
Learn more about how the music industry can fix streaming at this free Fix Streaming webinar on Tuesday 25 February, hosted by the Council of Music Makers.
The MU has a strong community of songwriters and music composers. We have specialist officials and advise music makers on the specific issues, including pay and contractual issues, career in composing and songwriting, employment and legal advice.
Join the MU now
The MU and players in over 20 orchestras across the UK have signed an open letter to call upon the Government to urgently address the lack of streaming royalties for musicians.
Published: 04 April 2025
How can the music industry fix streaming for session players and ensure that all artists get fair pay from music streaming? Musicians’ Union (MU) General Secretary Naomi Pohl explains…
Published: 28 March 2025
The MU’s Head of Communications and Government Relations, Isabelle Gutierrez, reports on a busy month of highlighting musicians’ issues in parliament, with updates relating to streaming, music education, and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Published: 20 February 2025
It comes at a crucial point in Creator Remuneration Working Group negotiations to fix streaming and get a better deal for musicians and music creators.
Published: 13 February 2025
How are musicians paid for music streaming and what could a fair deal look like? MU General Secretary Naomi Pohl explains…
Published: 11 February 2025
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Music Streaming: What Does a Fair Deal for Musicians Look Like? – The Musicians' Union
