John Washington III Tells Spotify His Answer on Remixes of American King Records Masters Is a Big No

Presidential candidate John Washington III is drawing a line around the master recordings owned by his label, American King Records. In a written statement, John Washington III said he has a serious problem with streaming platforms attempting to negotiate deals that would allow other people to remix artists' music, and he gave Spotify a direct answer. "My answer is a big no," he wrote. "Absolutely not."

John Washington III argued that a streaming platform is not a record company. He said he built his label, invested his money, developed his artists and created his music catalog, and he is not handing control of the masters to a platform in exchange for what he called an undisclosed streaming royalty that might amount to fractions of a penny. "We are not giving away our music," he wrote.

He laid out the route he says the business is supposed to take. If another artist wants to remix, sample or commercially use one of the label's master recordings, he wrote, that artist contacts American King Records, negotiates a licensing agreement and discusses the upfront payment, royalties, ownership and terms of use. "That is how the music business works," he wrote.

John Washington III framed the position as a point for artists and independent labels generally: their music is an asset, their master recordings are property and their rights have value, and the fact that technology makes remixing easier does not mean they should surrender control. His statement closed the position in a list: no unauthorized remixes of the label's masters, no third-party licensing without the label's approval, and no giving away control of the catalog for pennies. "Our music. Our masters. Our rights. Our decision," he wrote.