RAYE: “You’ve got these CEOs and big label execs living in their fat huge Chelsea mansions, while songwriters you are profiting off are broke”

nme.com:

RAYE has hit out at industry executives for underpaying songwriters while taking huge profits for themselves.The British artist – who took home a record-breaking six BRIT awards this month – said that songwriters are left “fighting over scraps of publishing”.Speaking in an interview with the Daily Star‘s ‘Wired’ column (per MusicNews), the ‘Escapism’ singer said: “For an industry that profits off songs, you got these CEOs and big label execs living in their fat huge Chelsea mansions, living a beautiful life, meanwhile songwriters you are profiting off are broke, can’t afford rent and fighting over scraps of publishing that is sat in bank accounts for two years before they receive a penny, because publishers have kept it in there so they can collect interest and make a whole separate business.”The artist also broke down the payment model for artists and songwriters, explaining: “Every single song that’s released in the world, there are 100 royalty points.“The label will take, say, 80 points.

The artist, in a good deal, will take maybe 20, 15, or maybe 12 and then producers get four points, but it has to come out of the artist’s points.“And the songwriter doesn’t even get one point.

It’s disgusting, the whole industry is disgusting. That’s one little example of what goes on behind closed doors where there is no accountability.”RAYE added that the whole situation makes her “very angry”.At this month’s BRIT awards, RAYE used her Songwriter Of The Year award acceptance speech to call on music executives to allow songwriters to receive royalty payments.“I think we need to have a conversation,” she said.