BASCA wants new deal for songwriter royalties

BASCA logo canvasThe British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors announced a new campaign that aims to increase the percentage of royalty income that songwriters receive from online music services. The initiative is seeking a 50/50 split of the royalties, in addition to an larger slice of advertising income from YouTube and other comparable platforms.

BASCA’s strategy for attaining that better deal for songwriters is leveraging information. “It’s taken some investigation to really find out just how bad the situation was.” BASCA CEO Vick Bain said. “The tiny amounts that are coming through for writers for the use of their music on digital services can be anything between 3% and 12%.” Now that more data has become available about the payments going to songwriters, Bain and her group think they will be in a better position to negotiate with streaming services. “We absolutely support these legal streaming platforms, we just need to get a better deal,” said Bain.

Publishers and songwriters have also been raising awareness on this side of the pond about the royalty percentages they get from streaming. Martin Bandier of Sony/ATV has been one of the more vocal industry critics, and has been considering drastic measures to get better control over the licensing and royalties of Sony songs.

Anna Washenko