VSNoting the elimination of the support fund for sound writing and our exclusion from the consultation on the establishment of a “sound tax” for streaming platforms, we, podcast and radio authors, are demanding a right place for sound creation in cultural policies and the creation of a lasting public fund to support its financing.
In 2021, more than 15 million French people listened to podcasts every month, a figure that is rising sharply (+20% compared to 2020). Where do they listen to them first? On music streaming platforms. The audio broadcasting giants, who are showing insolent growth, attribute it to the public’s great appetite for podcasts.
Spotify, which has nearly half a billion users, indicated in July 2022 that it hosted 4.4 million podcasts, with which user interactions would have seen an increase. “substantial double-digit growth”. Subscription revenues and advertising revenues follow the same movement.
A major injustice
Our works daily enrich the catalogs of streaming platforms and contribute to their attractiveness.
We were delighted when, in 2021, the Ministry of Culture had put in place, thanks to the recommendations of the report by François Hurard and Nicole Phoyu-Yedid (“ The ecosystem of audio on demand (“podcasts”): issues of sovereignty, regulation and support for digital audio creation ), a fund to support sound writing with 500,000 euros. Renewed in 2022, it has now fizzled out before the Bercy arbitrations. It is a major injustice when public support has long existed for all other repertoires (cinema and audiovisual, music, visual arts, etc.).
Our anger and disappointment are immense in the face of this blind spot in public policy.
The President of the Republic announced it on June 21: if the players in audio streaming and the music industry do not manage to find common ground before September 30, a “tax streaming” will have to see the light of day in the finance bill for 2024. Its product will make it possible to feed an offer of public subsidies to support the production of new works. Netflix and others have been subject to a similar tax since their beginnings, and its proceeds help finance the National Center for Cinema and Animated Images (CNC).
Equity
Good, but… only rights holders from the music industry are invited to the consultation table.
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