Musicians petition for Spotify to triple royalty payments following coronavirus losses

Musicians are petitioning for Spotify to triple their royalty payments following financial losses due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Massachusetts-based musician Evan Greer set up the petition, has requested that this change be permanent, "so that artists can make a living wage and not be left vulnerable or living gig to gig." He also urged Spotify to ake a $500,000 donation to Sweet Relief's COVID 19 fund, which provides immediate assistance to musicians and other music industry workers impacted by the pandemic. Greer criticised Spotify for the "incredibly low" amount they currently pay artists per stream, which has been estimated to be about $0.00318.

While Spotify hasn't addressed the petition, a spokesperson told The Guardian "There’s no question this is a challenging time for our creator community and we are working to assist them through MusiCares’ Covid-19 relief fund to provide much needed assistance." A portion of the company's advertising revenue has also been made available for governments and charities to share information regarding safety.

The music industry has taken a hard hit globally in response to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. As governments advise against large gatherings, gigs and music festivals have been cancelled or postponed, taking major sources of revenue out of musicians' pockets. Major festivals such as Glastonbury and SXSW have been outright cancelled and in Ireland, the Taoiseach has advised against all gatherings with more than 100 people.

Bandcamp has responded to the outbreak and subsequent losses by waiving revenue fees on all purchases made on Friday, March 20. To combat the gig cancellations, many artists have moved to livestreaming platforms. Hot Press has begun a series of Lockdown Sessions via Instagram Live to continue support for artists during the time of uncertainty.