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Wednesday, April 27, 2016 3:00pm ET by  
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Blondie's Debbie Harry: 'Music matters. Artists matter'

Iconic singer Debbie Harry, of Blondie fame, has revealed that music is incredibly important and she firmly believes that artists need to be fairly compensated for sharing their talents with the world. 

In a new editorial that she wrote for The Guardian newspaper, Debbie Harry explained that it's disappointing to see streaming services and other online companies not paying their acts enough:

"I feel compelled to speak out on behalf of a new generation of artists who are not being treated or compensated fairly. In a world in which few people are paying for music, it is imperative for companies that generate enormous revenues, such as YouTube, to support the musicians and artists who have made that platform what it is today."

She continued: "While I was fortunate enough to make a good living making music, able to travel around the world performing, I was also fortunate enough to be an artist during the period when people bought albums. But in this digital world, the up-and-coming artists of today are being denied the chance to earn a living, when companies such as YouTube don’t pay them fairly."

"This is crippling for new artists who depend on their earnings to make new music [...] The most searched item on YouTube is music. But despite music driving so much traffic to the YouTube platform, they do not pay artists fairly."

She concluded the editorial with the following statement: "Art and music have helped change and sculpt our culture. As someone who performed at seminal clubs like CBGB, and had a part in shaping the punk music scene, I know first-hand how we can influence the world. Music matters. Musicians matter. We artists have this ability. We only ask that we be compensated fairly."

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Watch Debbie Harry paying tribute to David Bowie here:

 

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