After the strike in Hollywood, French artists also demanded compensation. Swann Arlaud, Aure Atika, Sandrine Bonnaire, Alain Chamfort, Valérie Donzelli and Agnès Jaoui are among the seven thousand signatories ofan open letter, published Monday May 13, which calls for better remuneration of performing artists by streaming platforms. These comedians and musicians who created soundtracks want to be “paid in proportion to the success of the work in which they collaborate”they write.
According to them, this is not the case “in the merciless world of streaming”, dominated by the American Netflix. This open letter was launched at the initiative of Adami, a company which manages the rights of actors and musicians for the distribution of their recorded work.
“Resoundingly successful film or series that has accumulated the number of views and seasons? Regardless of the duration of viewing availability and the number of streams, actresses and actors receive a meager and unique package, determined from the start.continue the signatories.
Threat of a strike
They recall that a 2019 European directive nevertheless established the principle of “appropriate and proportional remuneration of interpreters”. But, three years after its transposition into French law by an ordinance in 2021, “no agreement has seen the light of day, leaving the actresses and actors in complete anticipation”.
“In this situation that resembles Tantalus torture, where the law exists, but where it is not applied, it is difficult not to think of duplicating the latest demands of the American sector”, they threaten in reference to the harsh strike which affected the cinema sector in the United States last year. Affected by shorter series and reduced rebroadcast rights, the screenwriters went on strike on May 2, 2023, followed in July by the actors, to demand an increase in remuneration and guarantees against competition from artificial intelligence. A strike which ended on November 9 after one hundred and eighteen days, and “damage estimated at $6 billion [5,5 milliards d’euros] »recall the signatories of the open letter.