Spotify is no stranger to royalty disputes, but this one’s no laughing matter. (Sorry.) John Mulaney, Tiffany Haddish, Jim Gaffigan, Kevin Hart, and Mike Birbiglia have all seen their work wiped from the service, The Wall Street Journal reports. The comedians had joined an effort to secure royalties not just as performers but also as writers of their work—similarly to singer-songwriters. Spotify has apparently decided to hit delete instead.
Spoken Giants, the organization largely leading the effort, has its eye on more than just Spotify, the Journal reports. The group hopes to secure such royalties for radio services along with streamers like Spotify, SiriusXM, and YouTube, and launched its efforts this spring. A representative for Spotify told the Journal that it’s shelled out “significant amounts of money for the content in question, and would love to continue to do so.”
Read it at The Wall Street Journal
