Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Musicians Wage topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Musicians urge City Council to back federal "Living Wage for Musicians" bill; large public turnout at hearing
Summary
Dozens of recording and performing musicians testified at a City Council hearing urging the council to endorse the federal Living Wage for Musicians Act and to press Congress to change streaming payouts that speakers said leave many artists unable to make a living in New York City.
Dozens of musicians, engineers and venue workers told a New York City Council hearing that streaming platforms pay artists too little and urged council members to adopt a resolution urging Congress to pass the federal Living Wage for Musicians Act.
"Streaming is now responsible for 84% of all revenue from recorded music in The United States," testified Damon Krakovsky, describing how streaming platforms, he said, distribute almost none of that revenue directly to recording musicians. "This has wreaked havoc in the lives of working musicians."
Organizers and performers organized into several panels to press the council for a formal statement of support and broader action. Joey DiFrancesco, identified as an organizer with United Musicians and Allied Workers, told the committee the bill would bypass intermediaries and send royalties "directly to artists," and said more than 600 New York City musicians had signed a petition urging local council support.
Speakers described high overhead costs for independent artists — studio time, equipment, photography and promotion — and argued streaming payouts are insufficient to sustain careers in an increasingly expensive city. Tyler Burchfield told the committee that the cost of professional equipment can be prohibitive and that streaming revenue has not kept pace with musicians' expenses.
Several panelists also noted the broader economic ecosystem at risk: recording engineers, producers, live-sound technicians, luthiers and other music-sector workers that rely on a functioning local music economy. "When musicians are hurting, there's a whole industry of people associated with the music industry that also hurt," said Tom Beamer, a recording engineer.
Council members praised the testimony and several said they supported the resolution or would cosponsor it. The hearing record shows public testimony from a wide range of performers, including jazz, indie, Latin and experimental musicians, and organizers who framed the issue as both an economic and cultural one for New York City.
Why it matters: Witnesses said the city's cultural ecosystem and the livelihoods of thousands of music workers are threatened by the current structure of streaming payouts. Some speakers urged the council to use its political influence to press Congress and the platforms for reform and to consider local measures that could support musicians.
No formal council vote on the city resolution was recorded at the hearing. Council staff said written testimony can be submitted for the record within 72 hours.
