Orchestral musicians unite to demand UK government reforms streaming royalties
8 April 2025, 13:26 | Updated: 8 April 2025, 13:35
As part of its #FixStreaming campaign, the Musicians’ Union has called on the UK Government to reform laws around royalties.
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More than 20 UK orchestras have signed an open letter calling on the government to urgently address the lack of streaming royalties for musicians.
The letter, written by the Musicians’ Union (MU), urges the UK government to reform copyright law so that musicians are “properly and fairly remunerated” by ensuring that streaming royalties are paid to all performers and non-featured orchestral players.
The signatories include orchestras from Opera North, Scottish Opera, Chineke!, Royal Opera House and Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
The average musician earns just £20,700 per year from music, with only 40% of musicians earning all of their income from music, according to the MU. Although plays on radio and public performances incur royalties for performers, music streaming does not provide the same financial benefits.
The letter suggests that “if musicians create an asset that someone can profit from, then surely we should be properly and fairly remunerated for that in every case”.
Read more: What would the great classical composers have earned from streaming?
Naomi Pohl, the MU General Secretary said: “Streaming platforms… pay out around 70% of their revenues to owners of music rights, but the majority of this money never reaches musicians.
“Non-featured musicians, such as orchestral and session players who back featured artists on tracks and play on film and TV soundtracks, don’t receive any royalties.
“This has to change.”
This call comes as part of the MU’s longstanding campaign, #FixStreaming, which is focusing on ensuring that all musicians are paid fairly for their work as streaming is becoming the leading way of music listening, overtaking radio.
