Source · Select Committees · Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Recommendation 18
18
Paragraph: 153
Algorithms are fundamental to the operation of streaming services.
Recommendation
Algorithms are fundamental to the operation of streaming services. However, many questions remain about how they influence music consumption and how much oversight exists. The Government should commission research into the impact of streaming services’ algorithms on music consumption, including where creators are forgoing royalty payments in exchange for algorithmic promotion.
Paragraph Reference:
153
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The Government agrees with this recommendation. It agrees that there would be value in conducting further research on recommendation algorithms used by streaming services and takes the growing role of algorithms seriously. The Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation (CDEI) published the final report of its review into bias in algorithmic decision-making in November 2020, and the Government responded to this report in July 2021 setting out how we are implementing several recommendations. In addition, the Creators’ Earnings research highlighted this as an area of further research that would be beneficial for the Government to undertake. This research suggested an investigation into whether adjustments to recommendation algorithms may alter the distribution of streaming revenue, so that less popular artists receive a greater share. The CDEI will be asked to lead on conducting further research relating to this recommendation.