WHEREAS, Streaming music services have become the dominant method of music consumption, accounting for 84 percent of total recorded music revenue in the United States in 2022, according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA); and
WHEREAS, Revenues from paid subscription services have grown for seven consecutive years and reached $10.2 billion in 2022, according to RIAA; and
WHEREAS, According to RIAA, there were more than 1.9 trillion songs streamed on demand in 2022; and
WHEREAS, A Business Insider report from 2020 found recording artists earn a royalty rate as little as $0.0033 per stream; and
WHEREAS, At the rate of $0.0033 per stream, it would take more than 800,000 monthly streams for a recording artist to earn the equivalent of a $15-per-hour full-time job; and
WHEREAS, The music industry supports over 31,000 jobs and $6.1 billion in annual economic impact in the City of Philadelphia, according to a Department of Commerce report; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia’s musicians contribute substantially to the City’s cultural landscape and economy; and
WHEREAS, Many Philadelphian musicians face volatile employment situations and economic insecurity; and
WHEREAS, On September 30, 2025, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib introduced the Living Wage for Musicians Act, which would create a new streaming royalty with the aim to compensate artists and musicians more fairly at a penny per stream when their music plays on streaming service; and
WHEREAS, The Living Wage for Musicians Act would tax streamers’ non-subscription revenue and add a fee to streaming subscriptions, passing the revenues to a non-profit distribution fund that would pay artists proportionately to their monthly streams; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Hereby calls on the United States Congress to pass, and the President to sign, the Living Wage for Musicians Act.
End