How can songwriters take a bigger share of streaming royalties? British independent label The Other Songs is trying one idea: carving out a new ‘TOS Writer Royalty’ for the songwriters of tracks that it releases.
The royalty will be “funded by a 3% contribution solely from the label’s share of streaming income” and will only be divided between songwriters who do not already have a share in The Other Songs’ master royalty pool as artists or producers. So it really is for pure songwriters.
“We are seeing first-hand the disproportionate payouts between label and publishing income and, unless something is done now, the job of a songwriter will become extinct,” said The Other Songs co-founder Alastair Webber. “The TOS Writer Royalty alone won’t be enough to move the dial, but with other likeminded people we can make a difference and, in the end, create a fairer playing field for songwriters.”