STOCKHOLM, Sweden (Hypebot) – Swedish Musicians' Union lawyer Per Herrey told a Swedish radio station late last week that a number of Swedish artists are considering suing Warner Music and Universal over their split of Spotify revenue. Many of these musicians are working under pre-digital agreements that give them a cut based on earlier days and they feel they should get more. It's less an attack on Spotify than an issue between artists and major labels.
On Friday The Guardian's Hellenne Lindvall reported that Per Herrey, a lawyer for the Swedish Musicians' Union, had appeared on Sveriges Radio and said that:
"A number of Swedish artists are threatening to sue Universal and Warner Music over the paltry royalties they get from people streaming their music. If record labels don't agree to increase the share of the royalties distributed to artists from services such as Spotify, the artists will start demanding that their music is removed from the service."
Apparently these artists have older contracts that give them no more than 10% of revenue from digital streaming and sales. They feel that they should be getting a 50/50 split with the labels in keeping with third-party licensing agreements.
Herring also says that:
"Universal and Warner may not even have the right to post the music of some the union's members, as those artists' contracts are so old that they don't cover digital distribution and sales."
According to The Local, Per Herrey stated that:
"This is just the tip of the iceberg. In reality there is an enormous number (of artists), but not all are prepared to fight in the public gaze."
Herrey himself is no stranger to the public gaze, having appeared with his brothers on Eurovision Song Contest 1984 which they won with the above rendition of "Diggi-loo diggi-ley."
