Olivia Rodrigo has chosen her wedding song, but the celebration is bittersweet for Britain’s working musicians. The pop star’s nuptials shine a light on an industry where streaming revenues are leaving many artists struggling to pay the rent.
Union leaders and campaigners warn that the current royalty model is broken. A session musician from Manchester told me: “I played on tracks that stream millions of times. My royalty cheque? Enough for a meal deal.” The average payout per stream is less than a penny, and with inflation soaring, the gap between superstar earnings and everyday musicians widens.
New data from the Musicians’ Union shows that 60% of professional musicians earn below £20,000 a year. That is below the real living wage. Meanwhile, global streaming giants report record profits. “The system extracts value from creators and funnels it to shareholders,” said a union spokesperson. “We need a fair share.”
The government’s recent consultation on streaming economics promised change, but critics say it has been slow. The Culture Secretary insists the UK “values its world-leading music industry”. Yet for the violin teacher in Leeds or the guitarist in a pub band in Newcastle, the promise rings hollow.
Rodrigo’s song choice is a personal matter. But the debate it has reignited is not. It is about who gets paid, and who gets left behind. As one composer put it: “We make the soundtrack to people’s lives. But we can’t afford to live.”
The real economy of music is a story of regional inequality and wage stagnation. And until royalties reflect the work, the music will keep playing but the musicians may fall silent.
