Advocacy group the 100 Percenters staged a protest exterior Universal Music Group’s Santa Monica workplaces at the moment (Feb. 6). The nonprofit based in July 2020 by Tiffany Red, a Grammy-winning songwriter, is asking for songwriters to obtain truthful compensation — or as Red put it, “not giving credit score the place credit score is actually due.”
The protest got here on the heels of the sixty fifth Grammy Awards ceremony, held on Sunday on the Crypto.com enviornment in Los Angeles. Red, together with fellow Grammy-winning songwriter Kimberly “Kaydence” Krysiuk, mentioned aligning with music’s greatest business occasion ws “bittersweet.” This was particularly so after the first-ever songwriter of the yr award, handed out to Tobias Jesso Jr., the day earlier than. Said Krysiuk: “I believe the acknowledgement for our work is nice, however on the finish of the day is rather like, rattling, however how am I going to pay lease? It virtually comes off such as you really feel like a fraud.”
Universal Music Group is the world’s greatest music firm and residential to such top-selling artists as Drake, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo and Sam Smith. Its Santa Monica workplaces home the labels Republic and Interscope, amongst others, in addition to Universal Music Publishing Group. It is run by Lucian Grainge, who was a key architect of its Sept. 2021 IPO. UMG’s market cap presently stands at 47 billion {dollars}. The firm has not but commented on the protest.
The 100 Percenters are pushing for particular adjustments to the best way the business does enterprise with songwriters, advocating for contracts detailing the author’s contribution and commensurate cost and royalty construction earlier than the music is launched, in addition to charges for periods and studio time.
Red says the intention is for the artists and followers to acknowledge how a lot time, power and expertise is spent on crafting a music. Said Red: “The [artists] exploit us, too. The purpose why all people makes a lot cash is as a result of they aren’t paying all people. If you had been paying individuals you wouldn’t have as a lot energy. It’s a hierarchy. Songwriters are the assistance.”
“I don’t suppose the artists are as impacted because the songwriters,” Kaydence added. “We’ve tried to get artists to tug up. [Artists] really feel like they don’t wish to ruffle these feathers or relationships. So on the finish of the day, we’re getting used. I don’t suppose the artists like totally grasp how dangerous it’s.”
The small however boisterous group of advocates gathered additionally highlighted the collaborative course of with artists, citing a longtime false impression. “There’s the phantasm that artists write their songs,” mentioned Red. Indeed, lots of this yr’s Grammy-winning and nominated songs featured credit that went into the double digits.
Providing an instance, Red references a number of Grammy winner Whitney Houston. “We knew Whitney Houston didn’t write all these songs, however that didn’t take away from her present,” mentioned Red. “It didn’t take away from her star. It didn’t from her energy, from her cash, from her affect, it didn’t take away from any of that. But when artists try this shit, it’s taking away from us — taking away from our cash, our affect; our voice; our worth.”
