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Members of Coldplay, Led Zeppelin, The Cure & more sign petition supporting change to UK streaming laws

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Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Citi

Over 150 musicians, including some of the U.K.’s biggest rock stars, have signed a petition sent to the country’s prime minister, Boris Johnson, calling on the government to reform the way it pays songwriters with regard to streaming royalties.

Among the many British artists who support the campaign are Coldplay‘s Chris Martin, Led Zeppelin‘s Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones, and The Cure’s Robert Smith.

The petition, which was organized by the U.K.-based Musician’s Union organization, charges that “[F]or too long, streaming platforms, record labels and other internet giants have exploited performers and creators without rewarding them fairly.” It seeks a change in the law that would “put the value of music back where it belongs — in the hands of music makers.”

The current copyright legislation was put in place in 1988, almost 20 years before the streaming platform Spotify was founded, and the petition claims it’s outdated and has allowed record labels to keep most of the money generated from streaming services, rather than distributing it more fairly to songwriters and musicians.

According to the BBC, the initiative launched by the Musician’s Union comes at a time when a parliamentary committee has been preparing a report on how money generated by major streaming services is being distributed.

Other artists who signed the letter include Paul McCartney, The Who‘s Roger Daltrey, Pink Floyd‘s David Gilmour, Blur‘s Damon Albarn, Noel Gallgher, Wolf Alice, FoalsYannis Philippakis, Peter Gabriel, Sting, Dire StraitsMark Knopfler, Annie Lennox, Kate Bush,

Visit MusiciansUnion.org.uk for more details.

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