Photo by cottonbro studio
The UK government has introduced a new framework of streaming reforms aimed at addressing long-standing concerns around artist remuneration and sustainability within the music industry. The measures, led by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy and Creative Industries Minister Chris Bryant, follow a year-long consultation with stakeholders through the Creator Remuneration Working Group (CRWG). This group, established by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), brought together artists, label executives, and representatives from major streaming platforms to assess the state of income distribution across the digital music economy.
Central to the newly published principles is a commitment to ensuring fairer compensation for artists, particularly legacy acts and session musicians. Notably, Warner Music UK and Universal Music UK have pledged to introduce a standardised per diem rate of £75 per day for performers at label-organised sessions, in addition to covering expenses. Meanwhile, Sony Music UK is set to launch a new Songwriter Support Programme in partnership with The Ivors Academy, aimed at providing direct financial assistance to composers and lyricists.
Further reforms include initiatives to assist legacy artists in renegotiating outdated contracts, support for disregarding unrecouped advances, and the development of bespoke marketing tools to help increase streaming engagement. The government has underscored its intention to monitor the effectiveness of these changes over the next 12 months, with the aim of ensuring they translate into measurable improvements for working musicians.
The reforms are being introduced in the wake of mounting pressure from artists and policymakers to overhaul the streaming economy. In 2024, the Culture, Media and Sport Committee called for a “complete reset” of the system, highlighting the imbalance between recording and publishing revenues and the undervaluation of songwriters and composers in particular. The government’s latest intervention signals a step toward recalibrating that dynamic, with a renewed focus on transparency, equity, and long-term viability for UK-based music creators.
