Sheffield, Tlaib Urge Congress to Pass ‘Living Wage for Musicians’ Act

November 25, 2025

Detroit Mayor-elect Mary Sheffield has partnered with U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib to support legislation addressing low compensation for musicians from streaming services. The Living Wage for Musicians Act, recently reintroduced by Tlaib, would establish a new streaming royalty system to provide fairer payments to artists, who currently earn as little as $0. 003 per stream.

Who is affected

Musicians and recording artists who earn royalties from streaming services
Detroit Mayor-elect Mary Sheffield
U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib
Streaming services (Spotify, Apple Music)
Record labels
Marcus Miller of Menace Media
Detroit's hip-hop and entertainment community
Artists across various genres including soul, funk, R&B, rock, blues, jazz, hip-hop, and techno

What action is being taken

U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib has reintroduced the Living Wage for Musicians Act
Detroit's legislative policy division is drafting a resolution to support the bill
Sheffield and Detroit City Council are backing the effort to raise payouts for streaming artists

Why it matters

This legislation matters because streaming services have become the dominant form of music consumption (84% of total recorded music revenue), yet musicians earn extremely low royalty rates that make it nearly impossible to sustain a viable career through streaming alone. Artists currently need over 800,000 monthly streams just to earn the equivalent of minimum wage, creating an unsustainable income gap despite streaming platforms generating billions in revenue. For Detroit specifically, this is particularly significant given the city's historical legacy as a major hub for music innovation across multiple genres and its ongoing contributions to the cultural landscape.

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: Michigan Chronicle