Photo Credit: Aleksandr Popov
Spotify has announced the cancellation of all of its Grammy parties and events in the wake of the Los Angeles wildfires. But nominees for the Songwriter of the Year Award were already boycotting the Grammy party before fires broke out.
Jessi Alexander, Amy Allen, Jessie Jo Dillon, and RAYE were all nominated for the Songwriter of the Year Grammy. All of them announced they would be skipping the Spotify party celebrating this year’s Grammy winners—because Spotify’s bundling move has lowered the royalty payments it makes to publishers and songwriters.
“After some thought, I couldn’t in good conscience support this initiative given their approach to bundling royalties,” Dillon said in a statement to Billboard. “It is very nice to be individually honored, but it is better for me and my entire songwriter community to be paid fairly for our art. There are no songs without songwriters.”
Spotify cutting royalty rates to songwriters and publishers led to an estimated $150 million decrease in royalty payments in 2024.
Now Spotify has announced the cancellation of all of its Grammy parties and events. “We’ve spent the last few days considering how to best show up for LA, the music industry, and the creative community,” says Joe Hadley, Spotify’s Global Head of Music Partnerships & Audience. “Ultimately, we’ve decided that the most impactful approach is cancelling all of our Grammy Week events, including our annual Best New Artist party.”
Spotify says it will redirect funds earmarked for these soirees into efforts to reach local fans and charitable organizations helping those who need relief. Spotify’s efforts include donations to the MusiCares charity, and FireAid, a benefit concert organized by Live Nation, AEG Presents, and the Azoff family.
“We’re also joining forces with GoFundMe to support and spotlight fundraisers dedicated to helping members of the artist and music community who’ve been affected by the fires,” Hadley continues. “In addition to these donations, we’re dedicating on-platform promotion and offering pro bono ad inventory to drive awareness of causes supporting the relief of artist and creator support via studio time at our LA office in the Arts District. The summation of these efforts mean we are committing a combined total of $5 million.”