Members of Congress Slam Daniel Ek and Spotify Over ‘Troubling’ Discovery Mode Policy (EXCLUSIVE)
variety.comJem Aswad Senior Music EditorThree members of Congress have written to Spotify co-founder and CEO Daniel Ek, criticizing him over the company’s policy of promoting an artist’s music on its Discovery Mode platform in exchange for a reduced royalty rate.
Among other notes, the letter requests that Spotify label such as paid content; the company announced the policy, which has come under heavy criticism, in 2020.The letter, written on official Congress stationary and obtained by Variety, is dated March 26, 2022 and signed by Reps.
Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY), Judy Chu (D-CA) and Tony Cardenas (D-CA) representing the Congressional Caucus on Multicultural Media; its authenticity was confirmed by a spokesperson for Rep.
Clarke. It states in part: “Choosing to accept reduced royalty payments is a serious risk for musicians, who would only benefit if Discovery Mode yields more total streams for an artist across their entire catalogue, not just the track covered by the program.
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