RAYE: “I’m worried for future songwriters – things need to change”

nme.com:

RAYE has spoken out about the challenges facing young songwriters, and what needs to change with major labels in the shifting musical landscape.The singer made headlines when she parted ways with Polydor Records last year after claiming that the label had refused to release her debut album, despite signing a four-album deal in 2014.Speaking on the red carpet at last week’s Ivor Novellos – where she was nominated for Songwriter Of The Year among the likes of Adele, Dave and Coldplay – the singer told NME that she had “found peace” with her former label, but that many more changes were still needed in the music industry to make songwriters feel valued and financially stable.“Songwriting is a craft that people don’t see, because it’s done in the darkness in studios and behind closed doors,” said RAYE. “I don’t think people realise how essential songwriters are in an industry based on songs.“Things need to be put in place to protect our future songwriters – to nurture them and make them feel special and important.”The singer told NME that the shortlist for her category at the Ivors proved that there was “an openness that there hasn’t been before in styles, flavours, genres and different types of expression” in modern music, and how the major label model needed to respond to this.“For the first time, we’re seeing that the ‘we need a hit’ model is fading,” she said. “It doesn’t work anymore.

I think major labels are realising that you can’t blackmail the system anymore. You used to be able to slap a bag of money down on the table and be like, ‘Play my artist’.