Snoop Dogg has commented on the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, saying music artists should do something similar.
Writers are on strike and seeking fairer pay in the streaming era. On a panel earlier this week, Snoop Dogg couldn’t help weigh in. “The writers are striking because [of] streaming; they can’t get paid,” Snoop says. “Because when it’s on the platform, it’s not like in the box office.” Snoop notes that streaming is a highly profitable venture, but those profits don’t seem to make it into artists’ pockets.
“I don’t understand how the f*ck you get paid off of that shit,” Snoop continues, discussing artists with millions of streams. “Somebody explain to me how you can get a billion streams and not get a million dollars? That’s the main gripe with a lot of us artists is that we do major numbers, but it don’t add up to the money Like, where the f*ck is the money?”
It’s unclear how long the WGA strike will last, with it officially starting on May 2. 11,500 members of the WGA voted to strike on Tuesday after negotiations with studios fell through. Writers want higher compensation across the board. “Ten years ago, 33% of TV writers were paid the minimum rate. Now, according to the WGA, 49% are. Accounting for inflation, writer pay has declined 14% in the last five years. The median weekly writer-producer pay is down 23% over the last decade,” reports the Associated Press.
Streaming also upended residuals for many writers working on TV shows. Writers were handsomely compensated when shows enter syndication or were sold to new territories. But now series and films hit streaming services and stay there—with no residuals for writers. Streaming services also don’t share analytics data with writers and filmmakers, meaning they don’t know how valuable their work has been for the streaming services. To replace the loss of these residuals, the WGA is seeking more upfront fees.
The WGA is also seeking assurances from Hollywood studios against AI. It wants production companies to agree to a series of safeguards surrounding its use to protect writer’s jobs.
