A single legal ruling may cost songwriters over $150 million—this year alone.Spotify’s latest courtroom win rewrites what counts as a “bundle,” and the fallout could reshape how creators get paid. Here's what the judge said, why the MLC is alarmed, and what’s at stake for anyone who writes music.
The disparity you mentioned betwen record labels being able to negotiate directly while songwriters are bound by compulsory rates is the real issue here. Spotify adding 15 hours of audiobooks and suddenly cutting $150 million from songwriter earnings feels like exploiting a loophole. The fact that this was dismised with prejudice is deeply troubling becuse it means other streaming platfroms will likely follow suit.
The disparity you mentioned betwen record labels being able to negotiate directly while songwriters are bound by compulsory rates is the real issue here. Spotify adding 15 hours of audiobooks and suddenly cutting $150 million from songwriter earnings feels like exploiting a loophole. The fact that this was dismised with prejudice is deeply troubling becuse it means other streaming platfroms will likely follow suit.
Yes, even though I wrote this a while ago, it's still deeply troubling. Thanks for you comment!
I'm so close to no more spotify releases, close, but... It's difficult