NYC Council Passes Resolution Endorsing Fair Pay in Streaming

Today the NYC Council voted to go Resolution 368, which requires honest pay for artists in music streaming. The council additionally endorsed the passage of the Living Wage for Musicians Act launched within the U.S. Congress in 2024.

“I’m thrilled the New York City Council has passed my Resolution 368 today, in support of the Living Wage for Musicians Act. In the music capital of the world, artists deserve fair pay and dignity,” shared Council Member Shahana Hanif. “As streaming platforms pay artists less than a third of a penny per play, this is a critical step toward making our city more affordable for working musicians to living and creating music here.”

The Living Wage for Musicians Act would lastly make sure that artists are pretty compensated for his or her work on streaming companies by creating a brand new streaming royalty paid on to artists. The new royalty could be a further income stream on prime of artists’ present royalties. The Act was initially launched by Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and former Congressman Jamaal Bowman, and was developed in collaboration with musician advocacy group United Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW).

The Resolution was launched by Council Member Shahana Hanif and was cosponsored by Council Members De La Rosa, Ossé, Rivera, Menin, Cabán, Brannan, Louis, Brewer, Riley, Farías, and Bottcher.

“UMAW thanks Council Member Hanif and all the Council Members who voted for thos resolution for standing with NYC’s music community,” provides UMAW organizer and musician Joey La Neve DeFrancesco. “This is a huge win for NYC musicians, and musicians across the country. It proves once again that when artists stand together united, we can fight and we can win. We still have a lot of work to do to win fair pay in streaming, but this is a big step forward.”

“Over 14,000 musicians operate in our city, but still make below minimum wage while generating billions for this sector of the entertainment industry,” provides Council Member Carmen De La Rosa, Chair of the Committee on Civil Service and Labor. “The Living Wage for Musicians Act is a lifeline for musicians who must rely on an exploitative royalty structure to make ends meet and uplifts a vibrant workforce that deserve to be paid fairly for their art and talent.”

“The New York City Council taking this action shows that fair pay in streaming and the Living Wage for Musicians Act is an idea with popular support, and one that politicians can get behind. Music benefits everybody, but streaming is not benefiting musicians – the LWMA is a straightforward solution to that widely acknowledged problem,” stated UMAW organizer and musician Damon Krukowski.