RAYE has slammed record labels for leaving many songwriters penniless.
The ‘Escapism’ hitmaker – who became an independent artist after parting ways with her former record company Polydor over a dispute over the release of her debut album – has hit out at labels for taking a huge cut out of royalties for marketing.
The 25-year-old star told Amazon Music’s ‘+44 Podcast’: “For every song that is released in the world, there are 100 royalty points on a record. A songwriter who has contributed to a record, written the record and even crafted the record entirely is entitled to zero points.”
She continued: “I have spent so much time with so many incredible songwriters with Top 10 Billboard hits and they can’t pay rent. It’s evil and you want to know what’s worse, record labels are taking eighty points for marketing.”
After being released from her record contract, RAYE admits she never imagined having a No.1 with her massive track ‘Escapism’ with rapper 070 Shake and a number two with her independently released debut album, ‘My 21st Century Blues’.
She said of the music industry: “At the end of the day, being a musician is tough anyway, because you’re putting out something to be judged, right? Being judged is always a difficult and intimidating thing for any human. But as a musician, you have to be at peace with the fact some people will hate what you do. Some people will like it. Some people will love it.
“But my purpose was, I have to love it. Otherwise, what’s the point? And I started releasing these songs with no intention of being these big chart hits.”
However, RAYE admits being fully in control of her career took some getting used to.
She said: “The most beautiful thing is realising that I don’t have to ask permission anymore, that I genuinely am in control of my career. That took some serious adjusting to. You know, you really have to back yourself financially, and you have to go and go, and every detail matters. But the positives for me well outweigh the cons.”
Listen to the full interview via link.chtbl.com/44PodcastWide.