Rock On – ‘Cracker’ Lead Singer Advocates for Musicians and Creators

Songwriter and copyright activist, David Lowery, led a class action against Spotify for failure to pay songwriters and publishers fairly. He won a $43 million settlement. Copyright is not only about creator survival, it is about who gets to determine what is creative and what and how the market values it. 

Chapters

• 3:11 Music business pre-internet
• 4:27 Advocating for musicians in response to internet piracy
• 5:34 YouTube's low royalties harm small artists
• 7:29 How does the modern digital environment compare to the past for musicians?
• 8:41 Pop music is better suited to survive in this digital era
• 10:02 Risk and revenue sharing structures
• 13:06 Tech companies are adverse to paying for creative content
• 15:03 Popular artists like Sonny Bono and Taylor Swift advocate on behalf of smaller acts
• 18:18 Class action lawsuit against Spotify
• 20:07 How working class creators can enforce their rights
• 24:51 Juggling teaching, touring and advocating
• 26:07 Monetizing content would be easier with stricter regulations on piracy