France's 1.2% 'streaming tax' (introduced 2024) on music services aims to fairly distribute digital music revenue and support the national cultural industry. Experts Jean-Philippe Thiellay and Francis Gay discuss the tax's effects on France's music landscape and its potential influence across Europe

France has introduced a new tax of 1.2% on music streaming services since 2024, known as the ‘streaming tax’. This measure is part of efforts to distribute revenue in the digital music market more fairly and to support the national cultural industry.

In response to this tax increase, Spotify has announced that it will increase subscription prices in France. This price adjustment is a direct response to the new tax and will be passed on to users.

The discussion partners Jean-Philippe Thiellay (President of the Centre national de la musique) and Francis Gay (freelance (music) journalist) shed light on the current events in France surrounding the ‘streaming tax’, on the regulation of digital platforms in the music streaming segment and the effects of the tax on the French music landscape.

Last but not least, they take a look into the future to see whether the French model of the ‘streaming tax’ could serve as a pioneer for other European countries and how Germany is currently positioning itself.