Nile Rodgers calls for ‘seat at table’ for songwriters after streaming report

Hipgnosis co-founders Nile Rodgers and Merck Mercuriadis have unveiled plans for a songwriters guild to ensure they are given a “seat at the table”, following the publication of a scathing report into streaming. The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee’s inquiry concluded the music streaming model is in need of a “complete reset” and that “pitiful returns” for performers and songwriters were impacting the “entire creative ecosystem”. Music manager Mercuriadis, who co-founded the Hipgnosis Songs Fund with disco pioneer Rodgers in 2018, told the PA news agency the guild would be based on screenwriters guilds in the US, which represent the interests of their members in Hollywood and beyond.