This cause is personal to me, impacting not only my friends in well-known professional bands but also those who are local independent musicians. It's agonizing to witness these artists, who pour their heart and soul into creating music, receive mere pennies on the dollar for streams on Spotify. The current state of affairs starkly contrasts with the millions that Spotify and record companies make off these artists.

According to Soundcharts, a music industry data provider, Spotify's pay per stream ranges from $0.00331 to $0.00437. This means that for a million streams, artists can expect to earn anywhere between $3310 and $4370. Given the time, effort, and resources poured into creating these masterpieces, this payoff is both dismal and inadequate. Furthermore, a report by CNBC states that record labels regularly take a cut of up to 80% of these payouts. Hence, artists experience the raw end of this deal.

In light of this unjust distribution of wealth from artist streams, we call on Spotify to increase the royalty rates for artists and to ensure fair compensation for the creativity, talent, and efforts they contribute to the industry. This change will assure just treatment of all artists, from well-established figures to our local independent musicians, allowing them to better live and create in a world where streaming is king. Please sign this petition and help us champion better pay for our artists.