Skip to content
REPORT (2023/2054(INI))

On cultural diversity and the conditions for authors in the European music streaming market

A-9-2023-0388

Committee on Culture and Education · Rapporteur: Ibán García Del Blanco

Official HTML ↗ PDF DOCX
✦ In shortFull textProcedure & committee votes
✦ In short · AI summary of this text, generated 26 Sept 2026

Written by a language model from the full text only; every figure comes from the text. The paragraph links open the paragraph a statement rests on — check the text itself before relying on it.

Parliament's resolution on cultural diversity and the conditions for authors in the European music streaming market sets out what the EU should do to make streaming fairer for authors and performers and to promote European musical works. It asks the Commission to assess contractual practices and revenue distribution, to explore fairer models of allocating streaming revenues, and to examine market concentration. It calls for better identification of creators through metadata and international codes, for collective management and collective bargaining, and for revision of pre-digital royalty rates. It wants a legal framework to ensure the visibility, accessibility and prominence of European musical works, with diversity indicators and possible quotas. It calls for ethical use of AI, transparency of algorithms and recommendation systems, labelling of purely AI-generated works, and rules on reserving rights for AI training. It proposes a European music observatory, an improved Creative Europe programme, a European export strategy for musical works, and a European industrial strategy for music.

Committee position. The Committee on Culture and Education proposes a resolution calling for a fair and sustainable music streaming ecosystem, fairer remuneration for authors and performers, a legal framework for the visibility of European musical works, ethical use of AI and transparency of algorithms.

Key points

  1. Parliament stresses the need for rules ensuring a fair and sustainable music streaming ecosystem that promotes cultural diversity and addresses imbalances affecting authors and performers.
  2. It says all actors in the music streaming value chain must engage in effective dialogue that includes authors and performers and make changes for a fair, inclusive and sustainable ecosystem.
  3. It notes with concern that current revenue allocation disfavours authors and performers and welcomes efforts towards fairer remuneration.
  4. It calls on the Commission to assess contractual practices and revenue distribution models, explore alternative fairer models to reallocate streaming revenues, and examine market concentration and its impact on cultural diversity, remuneration and competition.
  5. It urges stakeholders to overcome imbalances and asks the Commission to monitor progress and consider policy proposals if voluntary initiatives fail.
  6. It calls on the industry to explore new models for allocating streaming revenue and encourages the Commission to evaluate new technologies such as blockchain and international identification codes to improve transparency and metadata accuracy.
  7. It underlines the importance of authors joining collective management organisations and recalls Directive 2014/26/EU on online multi-territorial licensing, transparency and good governance.
  8. It calls for comprehensive and accurate metadata allocation from creation, use of international identification codes (IPI, ISWC, ISRC, IPN and ISNI), and intensified efforts by all music industry players to identify and report authors' data.
  9. It calls for revision of pre-digital royalty rates and condemns payola schemes that force authors to accept lower or no revenue in exchange for visibility.
  10. It calls for action at Union level to guarantee visibility and accessibility of European musical works, and asks the Commission to propose a legal framework with diversity indicators, best practices, monitoring and possible quotas.
  11. It calls for ethical use of AI, transparency of algorithms and recommendation systems, a clear label for purely AI-generated works, and rules allowing authors to reserve and license rights for AI training with documented training data.
  12. It calls on the Commission to set up a European music observatory, improve Creative Europe, develop a European export strategy for musical works, and consider a European industrial strategy for music.

Who is affected

  • Authors, composers, songwriters and performers, who should receive fairer remuneration, better identification and greater visibility.
  • Music streaming platforms, which should improve transparency, metadata, algorithm transparency and labelling of AI-generated works.
  • The Commission, which is asked to assess practices, propose legal frameworks, set up an observatory and develop strategies.
  • Member states, which are called on to assess ways to preserve digital European musical heritage.
  • Collective management organisations, which are important for collective representation and fair access to markets.

Figures and deadlines

  • Streaming represents 67 % of the music sector's global revenue.
  • The global music sector reached annual revenue of USD 22.6 billion in 2022.
  • Up to 100 million tracks are available on streaming services.

Legal basis: Article 167 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union