Like Taylor Swift, Jaime King Urges Streaming Services To Pay Actors


Jaime King was obviously inspired by her BFF Taylor Swift.

Like the singer, the former Hart of Dixie star wrote a letter asking streaming sites to pay actors residuals for the shows and movies that are watched. Jaime King managed to gain some attention for her convincing letter that she later deleted.

But like with all things on the Internet, Jaime King’s post was found by some fans. Not only did King, 36, congratulate Swift for “supporting” other artists, but she asked Netflix and Hulu to pay actors residuals for the episodes and movies watched on the popular streaming sites. King also added that Hart of Dixie is one of the most popular shows on Hulu.

“Congrats and thank you Tay for supporting artistry and the support of artists big and small. I hope that these kinds of changes can be made in Hollywood- where actors are actually paid for the episodes watches on Netflix and Hulu etc. (except those shows that are original series for Netflix/Amazon/Hulu etc).”

Hart of Dixie is one of the top watched shows on Hulu and helped us receive renewal many times- yet they say it’s not “quantifiable” so we don’t get paid. Period. Not one cent. Before streaming, actors, writers, producers & directors were paid residuals for every episode watched. Which is how those in our industry would live in between work. And people rarely watch live TV- or buy TV’s- they stream, so actors etc. do NOT receive any money for episodes watched in this format. It’s imperative that ALL artists are paid for their work and for the loving that they put into in whilst the corporations make hundreds of millions yet claim they no nothing. It’s a conflict, because we want you to watch our shows and are grateful for streaming because it allows people to discover new series. I LOVE Netflix and Hulu – yet, there must be a change of course from the studios that make direct deals with them and get the money directly yet do not pay the people making the shows come to life. Thank you for encouraging change @taylorswift and I really hope that one day that will cross over into our field. With gratitude- your friend, JK”

The actress and model suddenly deleted her post hours later, which means it won’t get picked up by Netflix and Hulu and make a difference like Taylor Swift’s open letter to Apple did. Maybe the initials “JK” meant “just kidding” instead of Jaime King. Some news sites are speculating that Jaime received criticism and backlash for penning her own open letter against streaming sites.

According to E! Online, a Twitter user remarked that she was blocked by Jaime King on social media after she gave her view on the subject matter. The Sin City star allegedly wrote, “I am pregnant, I don’t want to be surrounded by negativity & you were mean & rude. You have free speech & I free choice.”

Meanwhile, a fan on the celebrity blog, Oh No They Didn’t, came across one of Jaime King’s SAG-AFTRA newsletters, thanks to the Internet. According to the theatrical contract on Page 9, section VII, King gets paid residuals for streaming video on demand.

As previously reported via the Inquisitr, Swift wrote an open letter to Apple Music on her Tumblr blog. In her letter, she criticized the company for not paying its artists during the three-month free trial that’s offered to listeners. Later that same day, one of Apple’s execs tweeted the company heard Swift’s pleas and will “pay artist[s] for streaming even during customer’s free trial period.”

As for Jaime King, she is just focusing on her pregnancy at the moment. The proud mom showed off her growing belly on Instagram. King took to Instagram to share a topless photo of herself, photographed by her friend Abbey Drucker. King also just celebrated the arrival of her second child, hosted by soon-to-be-godmother, Taylor Swift.

jaime-king-bare-baby-bump-500x500

Jaime King had a convincing argument about actors not getting paid residuals on streaming sites. She could have made an impact on these companies if she kept her letter up long enough. What are your thoughts on Jaime King’s open letter to Netflix and Hulu? Do you think actors should receive residuals every time fans stream their movies and shows? Share your thoughts below in the comments section.

[Image: Charley Gallay/Getty Images for The Weinstein Company]

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