Many successful musicians, actors and writers are struggling to
make a living due to gaps in copyright protection, a lack of
support for freelancers and unpredictable returns from music
streaming, MPs warn today.
A report from the Culture, Media and Sport
Committee highlights the precarious rates of pay and
employment conditions faced by many working in the creative
industries and calls on the Government to ensure creators are
compensated when people copy or move content such as songs to or
between their devices (known as private copying). It also
recommends that a Freelancers' Commissioner be established.
The Committee warns that the current lack of a private copying
scheme, which would ensure creators are paid when content is
shared on digital devices, is not only preventing them from
receiving payments from the UK market but also from abroad, due
to a lack of reciprocity with other countries.
On support for freelancers and the self-employed, which make up a
significant minority of the creative workforce, the report says a
Freelancers' Commissioner should work across departments and have
powers to advocate in the interests of creative freelancers and
address wider issues around contracts and working conditions.
Following on from previous Committee reports on the impact of artificial
intelligence and the economics of music
streaming, the report also calls for action to ensure
creators are compensated when their works are used by AI systems
and for the Government to do more to make sure music makers are
paid fairly.
Dame MP, Chair of the CMS
Committee, said: “Many of our talented actors, writers,
composers and singers are failing to share in the global success
of the UK's creative industries as the sector struggles to
navigate a perfect storm caused by everything from the emergence
of AI through to the rapid changes in the way content is
consumed.
If creators are no longer to be the poor relations, the
Government needs to play catch up by plugging the gaps in
outdated copyright and intellectual property regulations and
ensuring that there is a champion for the rights of freelancers,
who make such a vital contribution to their industries.
Since the Committee called for a complete reset of the music
streaming industry to ensure a fairer split of revenues, there
have been moves in the right direction, but the Government needs
to move further and faster to ensure music makers really are
properly rewarded for their work.”
For a full list of conclusions and recommendations, see page p42
of the report.
