Swann Arlaud, Alain Chamfort, Sandrine Bonnaire, Valérie Donzelli and Agnès Jaoui are among the 7,000 signatories of an open letter demanding better remuneration for performing artists by streaming platforms. These artists – actors or musicians who create soundtracks – want to be “compensated in proportion to the success of the work on which they collaborate”, they write in this open letter published on Monday. According to them, this is not the case “in the merciless world of streaming”, dominated by the American giant 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 racks up 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.
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,” they regret. “In this situation that resembles the torture of Tantalus, 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 had affected the sector in the United States last year.
