Raye Demolishes Record Labels for Underpaying Songwriters: “The Whole Industry Is Disgusting”

Spending over a decade in the music industry, Raye witnessed how the process of bringing a song to life worked. From the moment an idea hits to stepping inside the recording studio, the singer shared her love for music in her debut album, My 21st Century Blues, in 2023. Gaining high praise from fans, the album went on to win Album of the Year at the 2024 BRIT Awards. While enjoying her time in the spotlight, the singer recently criticized record labels for how little they pay songwriters. 

Since platforms like Spotify seemed to revolutionize how people listen to music, countless artists have discussed how little singers are paid. But for Raye, her issue is not with Spotify but with the record labels. Speaking with the Daily Star newspaper’s Wired, the singer said, “For an industry that profits off songs, you got these CEOs and big label execs living in their fat huge Chelsea mansions, living a beautiful life, meanwhile songwriters you are profiting off are broke, can’t afford rent and fighting over scraps of publishing that is sat in bank accounts for two years before they receive a penny, because publishers have kept it in there so they can collect interest and make a whole separate business.” 

Raye Breaks Down The Numbers

Knowing that many fans have no idea how the industry worked, Raye decided to break down the numbers. “Every single song that’s released in the world, there are 100 royalty points. The label will take, say, 80 points. The artist, in a good deal, will take maybe 20, 15, or maybe 12 and then producers get four points, but it has to come out of the artist’s points.” While the artists walk away with something, Raye also added how many points a songwriter gets. “And the songwriter doesn’t even get one point. It’s disgusting, the whole industry is disgusting. That’s one little example of what goes on behind closed doors where there is no accountability.”

Besides being an artist herself, Raye has helped numerous icons bring their songs to life. She worked with John Legend, Rihanna, Little Mix, and even Beyonce. While sharing her love for songwriting, she insisted the entire industry “Makes her very angry.” 

(Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)