Four out of five Grammy Songwriter of the Year nominees are boycotting Spotify's January 28 celebration party. Jessi Alexander, Amy Allen, Jessie Jo Dillon, and RAYE have declined to attend or perform at the event, citing Spotify's recent controversial changes to songwriter royalties.

The boycott stems from Spotify's decision to reduce royalty rates on premium streams for songwriters and publishers. This change, implemented when Spotify reclassified its Premium subscriptions as "bundled" products due to the addition of audiobooks, is expected to decrease songwriter and publisher royalties by approximately $150 million over 12 months.

Jessie Jo Dillon, who wrote Morgan Wallen's "Lies Lies Lies," stated, "After some thought, I couldn't in good conscience support this initiative given their approach to bundling royalties. 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."

The protest has gained support from other prominent songwriters. Ross Golan warned colleagues on Instagram against attending, while 2023 Grammy nominee Laura Veltz criticized Spotify's practices, calling them "robbery."

Edgar Barrera, the fifth nominee, has not yet commented on whether he will attend the event. The Songwriter of the Year Grammy category was established by the Recording Academy in 2023, with Spotify creating this celebration event to honor the nominees.

The controversy highlights ongoing tensions between streaming platforms and songwriters over fair compensation in the digital age, particularly as services expand beyond music into other entertainment formats.

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