UK parliament is launching an inquiry into the economics of music streaming

The UK’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee is launching an inquiry into the economics of music streaming.

The parliamentary selection committee, comprising a cross-party group of MPs, will examine the impact streaming is having on artists, record labels and the sustainability of the music industry.

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The parliamentary website states: “With streaming currently accounting for more than half of the global music industry’s revenue, this inquiry will look at the business models operated by platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and Google Play. 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.

“The Committee will also consider whether the government should be taking action to protect the industry from piracy in the wake of steps taken by the EU on copyright and intellectual property rights.”

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A call for written submissions from experts, artist, labels and streaming platforms has been made, which will be open until 6pm on Monday, November 16.

Reference questions include “Have new features associated with streaming platforms, such as algorithmic curation of music or company playlists, influenced consumer habits, tastes, etc?” and “How can the Government protect the industry from knock-on effects, such as increased piracy of music?”.

Find out more here.

Patrick Hinton is Mixmag's Digital Features Editor, follow him on Twitter

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