Eminem publisher sues Spotify over song use

A continual problems for artists

This isn’t the first time Spotify’s run into trouble for royalty issues and unfair artist payments. At the end of 2018, Wixen Music Publishing sought $1.6 billion in damages for infringed artist rights, which was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.

Spotify has continually been at the centre of controversy surrounding unfair payments and has yet to significantly improve.

Jay Z’s TIDAL service was practically built on this problem, defining itself as an industry-friendly streaming platform that would pay double royalties per play compared to Apple Music and Spotify. Other sites such as SoundCloud and Bandcamp allow listeners to donate directly to artists, rather than indirectly paying them solely through streaming numbers.

It’s worth keeping in mind that Eminem was clueless to the whole situation. According to his current publicist Dennis Dennehy he was ‘just as surprised as anyone else by this news’. Eight Mile Style only owns Eminem’s earlier works, including the Slim Shady LP and The Marshall Mathers LP, both of which are among his most popular records.

Should we expect a hard-hitting Spotify diss track from Marshall soon?

This is unlikely to truly stump Spotify. After recently releasing a ‘lite’ version of the main app, it continues to dominate a crowded market regardless of its reputation with musicians. The real problem isn’t with mainstream names such as Eminem – it’s mostly with newer, underground acts that struggle to make their craft a viable source of income. Until Spotify truly changes the way it pays out for everyone, Eminem’s legal troubles will simply be another name on a long list.

Increased exposure to this problem is welcomed, however, and hopefully we’ll see some legal changes come from this lawsuit. Everyone should be paid fairly, regardless of industry status.