New Delhi: Audio streaming giant and media services provider Spotify has removed the work of some of the most popular comedians, including Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish, John Mulaney and Jim Gaffigan, from its streaming services due to a royalty dispute. Many high-profile entertainers are chasing royalty payments for their jokes when they are put on the radio, and on services such as Spotify, Pandora, YouTube and SiriusXM, the media has reported.
Spoken Giants, a global rights administration company, supports the comics’ efforts and works to ensure that entertainers are properly compensated for the content they speak. The company is working with a group of high-profile comedians to negotiate terms that would allow comics to be paid when their work is paid for, such as Spotify, SiriusXM, Pandora and YouTube. platforms, the WSJ first reported on Saturday.
When a digital service plays comedians’ content, they are usually paid for by their label or distributor, as well as digital performance rights organization SoundExchange, according to the WSJ. However, Spoken Giants hopes to change the fact that these comedians are not technically compensated for writing that material.
Spotify removed content from hundreds of comedians after unsuccessful negotiations with the spoken giants. In a statement to the WSJ, Spotify said it has already “paid a significant amount of money for the content in question, and would love to continue to do so.”
Reportedly, the comedian aims to collect royalties for “the underlying composition copyright of the speaking media”, the same way a songwriter would be paid for their music and lyrics.
Spotify has not commented on whether the company will seek to reach a deal with the spoken giants again, or if the comedian’s content will return in the future.
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