Snoop Dogg Supports Hollywood Strike And Raises Concerns Over Streaming Companies’ Payment Practices

Rapper and actor Snoop Dogg has voiced his support for the ongoing Hollywood strike, which was initiated by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) on May 2, and later joined by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG–AFTRA) on July 14. At a recent event hosted by the Milken Institute, Snoop Dogg addressed the “Hollywood Double Strike,” shedding light on the pressing issue of residuals from streaming services and how they affect musicians and creators.

In his remarks, Snoop Dogg expressed bewilderment at the current payment system employed by streaming platforms, stating, “The streaming gotta get their sh** together because I don’t understand how the f*** you get paid off of that sh**,” Snoop Dogg reportedly said. “I mean, can someone explain to me how you can get a billion streams and not get a million dollars? That sh** don’t make sense to me.”

He further highlighted the disparity between traditional sales and streaming revenue, pointing out, “If you sold a million copies, that means 999, $9 million, you get this percentage, that’s what it is. So if I sell how many streams, how much money do I get? It’s not being translated and it’s not working for the artist right now.”

Issues regarding fair compensation for artists by music streaming companies have been an ongoing topic of discussion for years. Back in 2014, Aloe Blacc publicly criticized streamers after earning a mere $4,000 from a song that garnered over 168 million domestic streams. Snoop Dogg emphasized the need to address this concern, drawing parallels to the writers’ strike, who are also grappling with the impact of streaming on their earnings.

He elaborated, “We need to figure that out the same way the writers are figuring it out… the writers are striking because of streaming. They can’t get paid,” Snoop Dogg said. “Because when it’s on the streaming platform, it’s not like in the box office.”

Snoop Dogg raised a crucial point about the current system’s lack of transparency, stating, “In the box office, if it does all these numbers you make it up, ‘Oh, it did this many, here’s another check.’ But on streaming, you got 300,000 hours that somebody watched your movie, where’s the money?”of thousands of hours of content being viewed. It’s imperative to address this issue.”