The Ivors Academy secures daily expense payments for songwriters from UK major labels

23 July 2025 - Press release

Until now, paying songwriters to work at label writing sessions was down to individual negotiation with many left to cover travel and subsistence costs. 

Acclaimed songwriters including RAYE and Myles Smith have called for per diems – daily expense payments – to ensure fair treatment for writers. 

This follows negotiations between The Ivors Academy, the BPI, UK major labels, AIM and the Council of Music Makers as part of the UK government’s Creator Remuneration Working Group.

The BPI and AIM issues guidance to all UK labels to ensure songwriters are not left out of pocket when invited by a label to attend a songwriting session or camp.

The introduction of per diems is part of a wider set of reforms that will be monitored over the next 12 months to assess improvements on remuneration for legacy artists, songwriters and session musicians in the streaming economy. 

The Ivors Academy welcomes the introduction of per diems and expenses as an important step toward a fairer music industry, while emphasising that further reforms are still needed.

In a landmark step to help sustain and support songwriters, major UK record labels have committed to introduce a £75 per diem and cover expenses for songwriters attending their writing sessions. 

This is the first time this type of payment has been formally agreed with major labels anywhere in the world. Crucially, this per diem from major labels will be non-recoupable from featured artists.

Whilst the actual mechanics of streaming and remuneration for songwriters have not changed, The Ivors Academy has secured this breakthrough commitment through its participation in the UK government’s Creator Remuneration Working Group. This was alongside other organisations representing musicians, performers, producers and managers as part of the Council of Music Makers.

At The Ivors Academy’s AGM last week, Chief Executive Roberto Neri called on Collective Management Organisations and music publishers to strengthen negotiations with the streaming platforms on behalf of songwriters to secure higher value for the song.

Until now, songwriters have often been expected to work for free during sessions, with no guarantee of future income unless a track is commercially released and generates streaming royalties. Many invest significant time and personal expense in the hope of a return that may never materialise. This practice, according to the UK Parliament’s Economics of Music Streaming report, places an unfair burden on creators and presents major barriers to entry, particularly for those from lower-income backgrounds. 

Tom Gray, Chair of The Ivors Academy, said: “Songwriters finally receiving per diems is hugely personally rewarding for me after developing the idea and pushing it forward as a policy for many years. No one should provide their craft and labour for free, especially when there’s simply no guarantee of liveable income from streaming royalties. This is an important and long-overdue step that protects the dignity of working songwriters.”

Roberto Neri, Chief Executive Officer of The Ivors Academy, said: "We welcome and wish to thank Minister Bryant for the introduction of per diems for songwriters and his support in securing this agreement. There is no music industry without songwriters and these payments will ensure that songwriters are not out of pocket when turning up to work. We look forward to working together over the next 12 months to assess how this package benefits music makers and ensuring that all creators share in the success of streaming remuneration."

“While securing per diems is a major win and a world first, there is still much to do. These standards need to be adopted globally. We need to see the streaming economy actually value the song, so its creators receive an appropriate share of revenues.”

Songwriters will be able to claim per diems from the UK’s major record labels, with full details of the process and payment scheme to be announced soon by The Ivors Academy. The per diem payment secured by The Ivors Academy from the UK major labels will be non-recoupable.

 

In addition to per diem payments, the package of reforms agreed by UK labels includes commitments to:

• Disregard unrecouped advances on contracts signed before 1 January 2000, with this rolling forward on an annual basis or bespoke support being offered.
• Provide tailored support to legacy artists to improve streaming outcomes.
• Respond to requests to renegotiate legacy contracts within 60 days, taking a holistic view of each agreement’s history and context.
• Increase session fees for pop and classical musicians.

Alongside the government, The Ivors Academy as a member of the Council of Music Makers will monitor these reforms over the next 12 months to measure the improvements to made to creators’ earnings. With a commitment from government to assess whether there is a need for further intervention if this package does not deliver on its objective to bring about real change for music creators.

These reforms follow growing scrutiny of streaming economics, which currently offer little reward, even to successful songwriters. Research from the UK’s Intellectual Property Office found that a songwriter whose work achieves 1 million streams per month - a threshold met by only 0.026% of tracks - can expect to earn just £15,288 per year, less than full-time minimum wage.