Court rules universal music doesn't need to pay Dutch artists more for streaming

Universal Music does not have to pay Dutch musicians Arriën Molema, Henk Westbroek, and Marinus de Goederen a larger share of streaming revenues, the Amsterdam court ruled Wednesday. The three artists had demanded half of the earnings from streams on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube.

The musicians argued they deliver their music nearly finished to Universal, and unlike traditional physical releases such as CDs or vinyl, the label performs little extra work for online distribution. They also noted that streaming was nonexistent or in its infancy when they signed their contracts.

Universal Music said it made significant investments to generate income from online music and disputed claims that payment arrangements were unclear.

The court limited its ruling to the agreements between Universal and the three artists. "It has not been established that Universal misapplied the record contracts and paid too low royalties," the verdict states.

A Universal Music spokesperson told NOS that the company was pleased with the decision. "The door was and remains open for the artists to further discuss the relationship, the contracts, and their performances," the spokesperson said.