we’ve been hearing for years how badly the music industry treats songwriters and the horrible conditions they have to work in: they get screwed over by labels constantly and don’t get any pay for writing sessions most of the time. not to mention streaming residuals and low compensation.

 

I can’t find the article now, but I think one of the 7 rings songwriters said that she was living in her van while the song was smashing because she didn’t have any money.

 

with all the attention on WGA and SAG-AFTRA, plus Marvel VFX workers unionizing and reality stars also wanting to form their union, why is no one paying attention to the music industry? why isn’t there any momentum 

I was wondering about unions in the music industry not just for songwriters, but also singers. Seems to be nonexistent except for a very few labels like Roc Nation that actually advocate for their talents. 

I don't know any song writers so I can't ask them to from a union

Because big artist who steal credits from songwriter won't be able to do that 

 

For music everything is branding and many popstars will be exposed

Most songwriters are broke and really have no power.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-56587621

 

This pact to stop sharing credit was a few years ago, but from everything I’ve heard a ton of the people that signed have gone back to sharing credit in order to survive or to even get work at all.

It's so f*cking gross. They totally should. 

It's hard to form a union because most songwriters essentially work freelance or in single-song deals/placements, and most don't want to speak up on it because unlike with the SAG strikes, songwriters are seen by the industry as being expendable and replaceable, and some writers even sign NDA's which basically gags them. It's extremely unfair, I think it would take more well-known artists standing a take with them for anything to actually change. Artists like Raye are very outspoken on this because she has a background as a songwriter but there needs to be more support for them.

I think the legal reason for this is that songwriters are not "employees" by law. 

 

there already is a Songwriters Guild of America, but it is not technically considered a labor union, and they cannot organize a strike like SAG and WGA.

 

Pitchfork covered the issue earlier this year: https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/why-songwriters-cant-have-their-own-writers-strike-yet/

Like others have said they probably need someone big to stand with them. And I can only think of a few artists who would even have the balls (well moreso lack of reliance on songwriters) to assist. If Taylor Swift spoke out and organized one, it would be massive. 

idk as a songwriter myself its just a really hard who has written probably about 100 released songs and ive made almost no money off it 

It’s illegal for us to unionize, we’re considered independent contractors. But we are suffering so hopefully we can figure out a solution sooner than later.