NEW REPORT REVEALS ARTISTS ARE LET DOWN BY LEGISLATORS

The International Artist Organisation (IAO) releases part two of Streams and Dreams, commissioned to Swedish music industry researcher Daniel Johansson. With the support of AEPO-ARTIS and its members, a respondent body of 9,542 artists across Europe was achieved, making this one of the largest artist surveys ever and the first to investigate the effects of the DSM directive.

The objective of the survey was to map out the reality for artists in relation to the DSM directive, which was set out to strengthen artists’ positions in the economy and, among other things, ensure fair remuneration and transparent information. The survey was a joint venture between the IAO and AEPO-ARTIS, representing European Collective Management Organisations (CMOs) for performers, along with CMOs and artist organisations. It’s clear that with just 5.1% expressing satisfaction with their streaming income, whereas 25.8% remain neutral, and 69.1% are dissatisfied, there is still work to do. Additionally, 64.7% of signed EU artists report a lack of transparency and detailed information as mandated by the new legislation (Article 19).

Further statistics from the survey show that 87.6% believe that streaming revenues are not distributed in a fair way (Article 18), with notable variations in perceptions of fairness across EU member states. Nacho Garcia Vega, President of IAO: «For us, the results of this survey prove that we need to take the ambition of the DSM directive further with stronger tools.» Vice President of IAO, Tore Østby, continues: «The responsibility lies on legislators to be more firm and use this information to secure fair conditions and sustainability.»

Written open-ended replies in the survey show frustration not only regarding remuneration but in overall understanding of the vulnerable situation for creators.

Daniel Johansson, researcher: «This study gives crucial insights into the challenges faced by artists across the EU. It underscores the necessity for additional measures to make Articles 18-22 more effective, as well as highlights the need for educational initiatives. My hope is that the report can serve as a catalyst for such initiatives and shed light on the daily realities for those that compose and perform the art that we all love and appreciate.”

The report can be found here.

For more information or inquiries regarding interviews, please contact:

Maria Engström

+46 70 512 42 93 maria@creative-engineering.se

International Artist Organisation

IAO is a nonprofit umbrella association for national organisations representing the rights and interests of Featured Artists in the Music Industry. IAO was officially founded in 2015.

www.iaomusic.org

AEPO-ARTIS

AEPO-ARTIS is a non-profit making organisation that represents performers’ collective management organisations from 29 European countries, active in the audio and audiovisual sectors. The number of performers represented by their 39 member organisations is more than 650,000.

https://www.aepo-artis.org/

Daniel Johansson

Daniel Johansson is a music business researcher affiliated with the Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences. With two decades of research focused on the evolution of the digital music economy, he has contributed through numerous publications that explore the dynamics of the streaming economy.