Snoop Dogg is speaking out against the streaming industry, saying that artists are not being paid fairly for their work.
Snoop Dogg breaks down why streaming residuals is a huge issue for SAG-AFTRA & WGA. Well said! pic.twitter.com/fBOSUOyPnV
— Todd Spence (@Todd_Spence) July 18, 2023
The rapper made his comments during an event at the Milken Institute this week, where he said that he doesn’t understand how artists can get a billion streams and not make a million dollars.
“I mean, can someone explain to me how you can get a billion streams and not get a million dollars?” Dogg asked. “That shit don’t make sense to me.”
Dogg said that the streaming industry needs to “get their shit together” and figure out a way to pay artists fairly. He also pointed out that the writers’ and actors’ strikes are a sign that the industry is broken.
“We need to figure that out the same way the writers are figuring it out — the writers are striking because [of] streaming, they can’t get paid,” Dogg said. “Because when it’s on the [streaming] platform, it’s not like in the box office. In the box office, if it does all these numbers you make it up, ‘Oh, it did this many, here’s another check.’ But on streaming, you got 300,000 hours that somebody watched your movie, where’s the money?”
Dogg’s comments come as the streaming industry is facing increasing scrutiny over how it pays artists. In recent years, there have been a number of high-profile cases of artists suing streaming companies for unpaid royalties.
Dogg’s comments are likely to add to the pressure on the streaming industry to change its ways. He is one of the most respected figures in the music industry, and his words are likely to be taken seriously by those in the industry.
It remains to be seen whether the streaming industry will be willing to change its ways. However, Dogg’s comments are a sign that artists are not going to take this issue lying down.
