A new campaign has been launched which calls on DJs to credit the producers of music that they are seen playing in social media clips that they share themselves.
Backed by the Association For Electronic Music (AFEM), Respect The Creators aims to boost recognition of lesser-known producers and help their music get increased sales from DJs correctly tagging the producer and track title of the audio featured in a self-shared or reposted clip.
The campaign centres around simple instructions, asking DJs that when they “post a video of a gig or a mix and the music isn’t yours, tag the artists, and list the full names of the tracks in the most visible part of your post”. Promoters have also been called upon to fully credit the music featured in their promotional materials for events when posting to social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Tiktok.
In a statement, AFEM COO Finlay Johnson said that while the campaign “may seem like a straightforward initiative, encouraging people to share and credit new music addresses significant challenges in the discoverability of emerging artists”.
He continued: “It also serves as a reminder for individuals to consider their metadata, which can directly enhance income through royalty collection. While white label and dubplate culture should be celebrated, the use of generic ‘original audio’ tags on social media does little to support artists. We encourage everyone to acknowledge and promote the team behind a record’s production and release.”
Commenting on the matter, Canadian DJ Richie Hawtin said: “I thought supporting the community and the musicians who make the musical structure that our scene (and DJs) stand on was simply common decency (and sense). So why do we see so many social media posts from DJs, promoters and festivals that completely fail to tag the music being played in the clips? It’s disrespectful and only takes further advantage of the musicians who are already struggling for recognition and a fair share of the economic pie of our ‘beautiful’ culture.”
The founding of Respect The Creator comes amidst the recent dissolution of Aslice, a platform launched in 2022 which facilitated the sharing of DJs’ booking fees with the producers of the music they were playing.
As part of its winding down process, Aslice underwent an external review carried out by data analysis firm Audience Strategies. Its report, titled ‘A Slice Of Fairness’, pointed to the “financial sustainability challenges” that come with running a company like Aslice and have ultimately led to its closure. Annual operational costs were estimated at around $250,000, while the company itself only made $63,000 while in business.
