Chappell Roan’s Fiery Grammys Speech Calling Out Record Labels Gets Response from SAG-AFTRA: 'It’s Easy to...'

SAG-AFTRA executive director comments on Chappell Roan's Grammys 2025 acceptance speech where she called out record labels' maltreatment of new artists. Read on to find the details.

Written by Ipshita Chakraborty , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Feb 07, 2025 | 02:20 PM IST | 9.6K

CC: Getty Images

Chappell Roan's acceptance speech at the 2025 Grammy Awards has sparked a new wave of debate regarding how the music industry treats emerging artists. This discussion has led SAG-AFTRA's national executive director, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, to weigh in on the issue.

Accepting the Best New Artist award, Roan reflected on her setbacks after being unceremoniously dropped by Atlantic Records in 2020. She called on record labels and the industry to pay artists a living wage and provide healthcare, highlighting the financial imbalance between the profits labels reap from musicians and the support those artists receive.

Taking to the stage, Roan said, "I would demand that labels and the industry, profiting millions of dollars off of artists, offer a livable wage and healthcare, especially to developing artists." Her comments have sparked widespread discussion within the industry, with fellow artists, including Halsey, rallying behind her position.

SAG-AFTRA's national executive director, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, addressed Roan's speech in an interview with Deadline, discussing the complexities of contracts artists sign with non-union labels. Regarding Roan’s demands for healthcare and fair wages, he said, "I thought her remarks were very courageous."

Crabtree-Ireland continued, "The fact that [artists are] so passionate about their art and their careers means that it’s easy to take advantage of them, and that’s one of the reasons why unions have always been so important in this industry."

He acknowledged that SAG-AFTRA has been unable to fully address certain gaps—many new artists sign with non-union labels that do not provide benefits. While major labels have unionized contracts, many independent labels do not, leaving countless artists without healthcare or retirement plans.

He explained to the outlet, "When people criticize the major labels for this, I think, in fairness, we have to acknowledge that the major labels do have unionized contracts, and they do, through those union contracts, provide benefits that are not necessarily provided by other labels that aren’t signatories."

Chappell Roan's speech has reignited long-standing concerns about financial inequality in the music industry. While megastars dominate headlines, most musicians are not well-off, and even a Grammy win does not necessarily guarantee a millionaire’s lifestyle. Crabtree-Ireland welcomed Roan’s advocacy and expressed interest in working with her to further raise awareness about artist protections and industry-wide reforms.