by John Gentile
Over 700 independent record labels have united to form the "Fair Digital Deals Declaration" Initiative. The initiative has been coordinated by the World Wide Independence Network (WIN). The initiative has five rules that signees must adhere to:
1. Ensure that artistsâ share of download and streaming revenues is clearly explained in recording agreements and royalty statements in reasonable summary form.Labels involved in the initiative include Sideonedummy, Hellcat, Epitaph, Fearless, Sumerian, Kill Rock Stars, Beggars Group, Domino, Sub Pop, Merge, Domino, XL, 4AD, Matador, Drag City, Rough Trade, Tuff Gong, and many, many more. The initiative comes in the wake of the rise of digital streaming services where major stakeholders and major labels are often given favorable deals (includig guaranteed payment amounts and equity in streaming companies) compared to deals given indie counterparts.
2. Account to artists a good-faith pro-rata share of any revenues and other compensation from digital services that stem from the monetization of recordings but are not attributed to specific recordings or performances.
3. Encourage better standards of information from digital services on the usage and monetization of music.
4. Support artists who choose to oppose, including publicly, unauthorized uses of their music.
5. Support the collective position of the global independent record company sector.