Shivani Morrison recently authored “What’s the Deal with Residuals?” in Los Angeles Lawyer Magazine’s prestigious May 2024 Entertainment Law issue. In the article, Shivani examines the evolving role of residuals in an entertainment industry that has become increasingly unpredictable.
She also delves into how vast technological advancements within the television and film industries, most notably the increased prevalence of streaming platforms, have altered the measure and structure of compensation. Following the 2023 strikes led by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), industry creatives managed to secure terms allowing them increased compensation when their work is reused on streaming platforms, in many cases leading to its resurgence in popularity even decades later.
“From a practical perspective, residuals serve as a crucial source of income for writers and actors, especially during periods of unemployment or underemployment,” Shivani writes. “In an industry characterized by uncertainty and instability, residuals provide a degree of financial security allowing artists to sustain themselves between projects and pursue their chosen career with greater freedom and autonomy.”
