Songwriters getting stiffed has been breaking the internet as of late. This all came to light during the covid pandemic that permanently changed the music landscape.

ABBA’s Bjorn Ulvaeus the man behind “Dancing Queen” urges changing the structure to ensure fairness for writers behind the music. Another community of songwriters called The PACT have also called out artists who take songwriting credit without contributing to the song.

“People are going to write songs. But why not treat them fairly?” shares Bjorn Ulvaeus.

Also, performing artists would generate income from concerts and merchandise, but songwriters just generate from the song itself.

Nevertheless, the streaming payout is a bit funky. The big streaming platforms split the subscription money and spread it out based on play counts to rights-holders or management organizations, who then distribute it according to their agreements.

The biggest super star artists are disproportionately making the lions share at the expense of middle class artist. Winner takes all!