Phono V Remark from ‘Stevie Wonder’ Urges ‘Fair’ Songwriter Pay

Stevie Wonder. Photo Credit: Raph_PH

The latest individual to weigh in on the proposed Phonorecords V settlement? Stevie Wonder, who may have submitted a comment to the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) as part of the ongoing rate-determination proceedings.

Like a significant number of others, that comment arrived soon before the CRB’s August 10th public-response cutoff. And while we summed up several filing parties’ key arguments and objections yesterday, an all-encompassing breakdown would perhaps look more like a book than an article.

(Many of these angles are important, however; multiple comments argued in favor of not only upping the Phono V base rate, but ensuring that subsequent inflation adjustments are accompanied by a no-decrease provision, to name one.)

Similarly, it’d require a significant amount of ink to highlight each of the appropriate docket’s numerous documents.

Just in passing, the long list of commenting entities includes settlement advocates like the major labels and the Recording Academy as well as objectors like Word Collections, the Songwriters Guild of America, Eight Mile Style, Fair Trade Music International, the Songwriters Association of Canada, and more.

(Technically, some of the Phono V pushback is classified in the comments category, with other such concerns described as straight objections.)

But the same non-exhaustive list also features a variety of individuals – among them copyright activist George Johnson, legal professionals Kevin Casini and Kaila Coleman, Bootleggers Music Group’s Paul Jones, singer-songwriter Michelle Shocked, and one self-described indie artist who opted to remain anonymous.

Back to the comments attributed to none other than Stevie Wonder, then, the single-paragraph filing spans about 170 words and argues that “songwriters should have the opportunity to earn as much as possible from every form in which their work creates value, including physical products.”

In keeping with this tone, the remainder of the document is light on direct criticism of the proposed Phono V settlement itself – and heavy on the position that “songwriters deserve to be paid fairly wherever and however their songs generate revenue.”

At the intersection of both points, this presumably means that the “I Just Called to Say I Love You” singer, songwriter, and producer – or at least the letter’s author – opposes the aggressive settlement push from the industry powers that be.

An obvious-but-important question: Did Stevie Wonder actually submit the comment? While we lack a concrete answer at present, we do know that the 76-year-old doesn’t seem to have addressed Phono V or adjacent topics on social media or his website.

Additionally, the Michigan-born artist’s team didn’t respond to a clarification request in time for publishing; we’ll update this piece if an answer comes through.

More immediately, though, it’s safe to describe the crowded Phono V docket as indicative of far-reaching reservations about the proposed settlement covering physical and permanent downloads across 2028 and 2032.

Now, with these reservations (plus some supportive statements, as noted) front and center for the CRB judges, all eyes are on the next step in the high-stakes deliberations.

And as highlighted in the remarks attributed to Wonder, in the bigger picture, there’s also the important matter of setting rates for streaming; Pandora today notified the CRB that four attorneys will appear on its behalf.