#Pay
Songwriters
Every record starts with a song. Yet songwriters don’t share in what the recording earns. We’re fighting to change that.
Happening now: the Phono V rate fight →
Who gets paid from a stream
Per NMPA, songwriters and publishers earn only 15.35 percent of streaming revenue. That share is then split between publishers and every collaborator on the song.
- 15.35% songwriters and publishers
- About 50–55% record labels and artists
- About 30–35% streaming services
Source: NMPA President and CEO David Israelite, at The 100 Percenters town hall.
- $31.7B
Generated by the global recorded music industry in 2025. Songwriters made that music possible, but don’t share in recorded music revenue.
- Credit grabs
In some cases, artists or their representatives take publishing on songs they didn’t write, cutting what the real writers earn.
- No union
Songwriters are classified as independent contractors, so federal labor law keeps them from unionizing to negotiate pay, benefits or conditions.
We call on record labels to act
- Per diems
Non-recoupable per diems for songwriting sessions and label-organized camps.
- Song fees
Non-recoupable song fees for the first commercial use of a composition.
- Master points
Points on the master for the first commercial use of a composition.
Phono V: the fight over streaming rates
The Copyright Royalty Board, the federal court that sets what streaming services must pay songwriters, is deciding rates for the next five years. The case is called Phonorecords V, or Phono V.
NMPA has filed its proposal on behalf of songwriters and publishers. Spotify, Apple, Amazon, YouTube and Pandora have filed theirs too, and not one of them offers songwriters a raise.
Fair pay for the songwriters who make these streaming businesses possible in the first place.
Tech companies find loopholes in royalty rules, like bundling music with other products to pay songwriters less. We want those loopholes closed.
Tie songwriter pay to several measures at once, so no single number can be gamed.
Under NMPA’s proposal, songwriters get whichever is highest of four measures
- 20%of the revenue streaming services take in from subscribers
- 40%of what record labels and artists get paid in their free-market deals
- $2.40per subscriber, adjusted every year for inflation
- Per streamA new minimum for every stream, to fight streaming fraud and make sure the right songwriters get paid
What do you think of NMPA’s proposal?
Creatives, tell us, and we’ll carry your take into the room. Prefer to stay private? Share it anonymously.
What streaming companies want to pay you from 2028 to 2032
Today’s headline rate is 15.35%. NMPA is asking for 20%.
- Spotify15.35%Frozen
- Apple15.35%Frozen
- Pandora15.35%Frozen
- YouTube15.35%FrozenOn less money
- Amazon13.4%A cut
Frozen means no raise for songwriters through 2032. Amazon wants to pay songwriters less than it does today.
Every number comes from the company’s own filing. Read them on the Copyright Royalty Board docketTell us what you think
Share your thoughts on the streaming companies’ proposals for streaming royalty rates from 2028 to 2032. Prefer to stay private? Comment anonymously and we’ll amplify your message.
Thank you
We’ve got your comment. We’ll amplify the strongest messages from songwriters and producers on our platform.
Change is already happening
Add your voice
Tell record labels to adopt per diems, song fees and master points.
Our town hall with NMPA President and CEO David Israelite is over. A recap is coming soon to the members portal.
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Following the Ivors Academy’s lead
We’re following in the footsteps of The Ivors Academy of Music Creators and its #PaySongwriters campaign in the UK, and the European Composer and Songwriter Alliance’s guidelines on song fees and master points.