Rico Brooks speaks to Bill Werde at Syracuse University in 2017. Genevieve Batson
In a provocative new op-ed for MBW Views, Bill Werde, Director of the Bandier Music Business Program at Syracuse University, argues that 2026 must be the year of the “Artist Union.” As major labels rapidly secure high-stakes AI licenses and equity deals with platforms like Suno, Udio, and Klay, Werde warns that artists are currently repeating the mistakes of the streaming era by accepting “table scraps” while corporations hedge against the future.
Werde points to the 2018 Spotify IPO as a cautionary tale of missed collective leverage. While Sony, Warner, and Universal held a combined 10% stake in the streamer—netting billions in profit—most artists only saw a fraction of that money, often used only to pay down existing “recoupment” debts. Though Taylor Swift famously negotiated a non-recoupable distribution for UMG artists in her 2018 contract, Werde notes this was a win of individual leverage rather than a systemic shift. Currently, UMG still holds a tranche of Spotify shares worth approximately $3 billion, yet no industry-wide standard exists for sharing such windfalls.
To combat institutional stagnation, Werde proposes a five-point framework for a unified artist front:
- Comprehensive Healthcare: Moving beyond minimum payments to actual, accessible benefits.
- Fair Streaming Rates for Legends: Addressing the “crime” of legendary acts being paid as little as 12% on streaming.
- Standardized Debt Forgiveness: Turning “pretend” recoupment programs into a universal industry mandate.
- Reverse Morality Clauses: Allowing artists to terminate deals if label executives are caught in illegal or unethical conduct.
- Live Transparency: Ending “dark” charges in venue and promotion contracts with giants like Live Nation and AEG.
Werde acknowledges that because US artists are independent contractors, they cannot traditionally unionize under the NLRA. However, he suggests a “workaround strategy” modeled after the 2011 NFL lockout. During that dispute, superstars like Tom Brady and Drew Brees led a decertification and antitrust suit that secured a $620 million Legacy Fund for retirees and vastly improved health care. Werde challenges today’s icons—the “Taylors and Chapells”—to step out of “La La Land” and use their combined power to protect the next generation.
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