UMAW NEWS: January 2026
Welcome to the first edition of UMAW News! In 2026, we hope to share monthly updates here on our website about our work. If you are a UMAW member, you will also receive this information (and more!) in the monthly member newsletter.
A few quick links before we get to the updates:
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SOLIDARITY WITH MINNEAPOLIS! ABOLISH ICE!
UMAW endorsed the historic Minneapolis general strike on January 23, where over 100,000 people braved below-zero temperatures to stand against ICE’s violence and repression, after the ICE murder of Renee Nicole Good in early January. Major unions, including the Minnesota AFL-CIO, also endorsed the strike. Our members also attended various solidarity actions on the same day in other cities.
Only one the day after the strike, DHS publicly executed a second Minneapolis community member, Alex Pretti, in broad daylight and on video.
We stand in solidarity with Minnesotans who have returned to the streets yet again, and to our members everywhere who are defending our communities. In 2025-2026 alone, DHS murdered over 30 people, including Silverio Villegas Gonzalez in Illinois in September and Keith Porter Jr. in California in December. We agree with Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the sponsor of the Living Wage for Musicians Act, who wrote, “anything less than abolishing ICE is a cowardly capitulation to fascism.” We also uplifted the Minnesota Black and Somali student organizations’ calls for the National Day of Action on Jan. 30.
Music workers have been fighting back against ICE’s infiltration within our industry, too. For months, we’ve called on Spotify and other streaming services to drop ICE ads. Then, earlier this month, Spotify confirmed the ads are no longer running — almost certainly a concession to the massive pressure campaign — but the company still refuses to update its advertising policies or promise to ban ICE ads in the future. Other streaming services like YouTube are actively running ICE ads. UMAW continues calling on all music platforms to implement policies to drop ICE permanently.
Abolish ICE! ICE out of everywhere! It’s time to organize!
THE LIVING WAGE FOR MUSICIANS ACT
GAINS TWO NEW SPONSORS IN U.S. HOUSE
UMAW is proud to announce two new co-sponsors of the Living Wage for Musicians Act (LWMA) in the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) of Pittsburgh and Rep. Troy Carter (LA-02) of New Orleans. Two more great music cities added to the list! We thank Reps. Lee and Carter, their staff, and of course our UMAW members who are constituents in their districts and who made their voices heard loud and clear in support of the LWMA.
The LWMA was reintroduced to Congress by its sponsor Rep. Rashida Tlaib (MI-12) in September. The LWMA would finally regulate streaming services like Spotify and ensure fair streaming payouts to artists. This legislation would create a new streaming royalty paid directly to artists, ensuring that musicians can build sustainable careers in the digital age. The new royalty would be an additional revenue stream on top of artists’ existing royalties. As of January 25, 2026, the full list of Rep. Tlaib’s LWMA co-sponsors now includes Rep. LaMonica (NJ-10), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (NY-14), Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Rep. Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (MS-02); and now Rep. Lee and Rep. Carter as mentioned above.
This week, UMAW just launched a massive coalition action with 11 other partner groups calling for the passage of the LWMA. Join the action now and send a letter to your lawmakers here.
MORE NEWS + PRESS
Luminate 2025 Annual Report Shows Shocking Data: Every year, Luminate releases Spotify data on streaming numbers, payouts, uploads, etc. The data for 2025, released on January 15, shows that a whopping 88% of tracks on Spotify have been demonetized. Read more analysis of the report by UMAW organizer Damon Krukowski here.
UMAW Interviews in MixMag and Verge: MixMag interviewed UMAW founder and organizer Joey La Neve DeFrancesco for an article about why more and more artists are leaving Spotify. Joey explained the importance of organization and collectively building power in the fight for better working conditions in the music industry. Joey also spoke with Verge about the LWMA, how AI is affecting the music industry, and how major labels are exploiting artists.
UMAW Statements on Protection for Artists Against AI: UMAW continues to track the seemingly constant new reports from artists that AI versions of their music and/or their voices, sometimes under their own same artist name, are being uploaded to streaming services without their consent. See here, here and here for UMAW’s recent statements on the need for protections for artists against AI. It’s also yet another reason we need the Living Wage for Musicians Act, which would pay human artists only. AI tracks would not be eligible for the new royalty.
Rolling Stone Report on Touring’s Affordability Crisis: Rolling Stone published a report about the affordability crisis in the touring industry. More and more often, artists rely solely on touring for income since streaming pays poverty wages. But as the costs of touring continue to rise, the burden falls on musicians to make it work. We say it’s time for a change! The LWMA would be the biggest material gain for artists since the onset of the streaming era.
Sweden Bans AI Music from their Official Charts: BBC reports that Sweden has banned AI music from their official charts, including the most-streamed song on Spotify in Sweden. It is possible for governments to protect artists from AI when there is political will to do so!
Bandcamp Says AI-Generated Music “Not Permitted” on the Platform: Brooklyn Vegan reports that Bandcamp has issued a statement from their official Reddit page that AI-generated music will not be permitted on the platform. UMAW will continue to monitor to ensure accountability for this commitment by Bandcamp.
Solidarity with the IMP Union: UMAW congratulates Production and Box Office workers across 4 IMP venues in Washington D.C., who voted overwhelmingly to be represented by IATSE Locals 22 and 868 during contract negotiations, per a statement on the union’s social media. They join their doorstaff and food and beverage workers who are represented by Unite Here Local 25 and won commitment for recognition in November. The IMP Union will continue to work towards fair and livable working conditions. Solidarity forever!
Thanks for reading this edition of UMAW News!