Russian music streaming services will label performers as “foreign agents”

From October 4, the streaming services Yandex Music, VK Music, Zvuk and MTS Music must begin labeling performers recognized as “foreign agents” in Russia. This was announced by Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy Anton Gorelkin. He also said that Roskomnadzor will monitor compliance with the new rules by platforms and copyright holders, and in case of violation, take “appropriate measures.”

“Foreign agents will no longer be able to hide their status. Thanks to the labeling, each user will make an informed decision about whether they should support such artists.”

MTS Music told RBC that services are required by law to “provide the technical capability for labeling.” The intention to label artists as “foreign agents” became known in June of this year. At the same time, streaming companies received a requirement to develop such markings. According to the Agency's source, the order was sent from the Presidential Administration.

Dozens of musicians are included in the register of “foreign agents”, including the founder of the Time Machine group Andrei Makarevich, the leader of Aquarium Boris Grebenshchikov, Zemfira, Egor Bortnik (Leva Bi-2), Elizaveta Gyrdymova (Monetochka), Ivan Alekseev (Noize MC), leader of “My leg cramped!” Maxim Pokrovsky, Miron Fedorov (Oxxxymiron), Vladimir Kotlyarov (“Porn Films”) and others.

In the summer of 2023, it became known that artists had stopped receiving income from Russian streaming. The Russian Society of Authors stated that payments to musicians who are “foreign agents” should be made in the same way as authors from countries that the authorities have declared unfriendly - through a special ruble account “O” and with the consent of the government.

As Igor Rubinshtein, media director of the Bi-2 group, told The Insider, the musicians do not receive income from Russian streaming, but publish there for ethical reasons.

“Each work of Bi-2, be it a single, or a video, any release, is automatically put on Russian streaming platforms by us. Moreover, we do not receive deductions from them; there are no royalties or other benefits. They don’t play it on radio Bi-2 either. The decision to stay on these platforms is not a commercial one, but an ethical one. They are used by millions of listeners in Russia and other countries where Bi-2 does not perform, and along with social networks, they are our means of communication with fans who cannot come to the concert.”