Brief news items and worth reads from around the web. Today: Where is the British breakout podcast? Also India roundup 2.0 and opposing sides get technical in a panel discussion on music licensing. Continue Reading
BMI announced that it will pay bonuses to the top songs on select streaming platforms. The performing rights organization’s new payment system complements the existing structures for premiums distributed to the top songs on radio and television channels. Continue Reading
Performing rights organization BMI announced its financial results from the past year, including total revenue of $1.013 billion. Money from digital sources – including Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Pandora, Spotify, and YouTube – rose 65% over the previous year. Continue Reading
A federal judge has denied Pandora’s request to reverse an earlier rate-setting ruling, and allow Pandora to pay lower music royalties to BMI. The decision is a mile-marker along a twisting path that involves the market-leading Internet radio service (Pandora), both government-regulated PROs (BMI and ASCAP), and South Dakota radio station KXMZ. Continue Reading
Sponsored by AudioBoom
The weekly update of the streaming audio industry, from RAIN News. THIS WEEK: BMI wins lawsuit vs. Pandora; new streaming advertising report; Apple/Beats rumors; Rdio’s new plan Continue Reading
In a Manhattan U.S. District Court, a ruling in the BMI vs. Pandora royalty rate case went in BMI’s direction late yesterday, raising the rate at which Pandora must pay for BMI-represented music by 43%. Continue Reading
The Department of Justice has been engaged in a review of consent decrees for more than a year. These rules govern the blanket licenses that performing rights organizations negotiate on behalf of music publishers. Billboard has a piece on the changes the department is reported to be considering, according to its unnamed sources. Continue Reading
Several publishers have been vocal about their interest in splitting from the performing rights organizations ASCAP and BMI. Their goal is to exert more control over digital rights management, pushing for increased royalty rates from online streaming services for their songwriters. However, a group of professional organizations and guilds centered on songwriting has released an open letter to publishers asking them to reconsider. Continue Reading
Pandora and BMI are scheduled to go to court tomorrow and hash out the legal issues surrounding the streaming company’s royalty payments to the performing rights organization. BMI is seeking 2.5% of Pandora’s revenue for royalties, up from the 1.75% that it currently pays. Pandora wants a rate of 1.7%, comparable to the rates paid by most terrestrial radio stations. Continue Reading
Martin Bandier, chairman and CEO of Sony/ATV, has added his voice to the criticism of rates paid to music publishers for streaming. “We at Sony/ATV want these digital music services to be successful because they are a great way for music fans to listen to music and have the potential to generate significant new revenues for everyone,” he said. “However, this success should not come at the expense of songwriters whose songs are essential for these services to exist and thrive.” Continue Reading
The push and pull between one of the world’s biggest audio publishers, Pandora, and one of its most important content providers, BMI (which represents a large catalog of music on behalf of composers and publishers), logged a new mile-marker last week. At issue is whether Pandora owns a “license-in-effect” to use BMI music. Continue Reading
A legal tug-of-war between Pandora and performing rights organization BMI has been in progress since a ruling last December, and it took a new twist last week when BMI reportedly advised Pandora that it does not expect any major music publishers to withdraw their catalogs at the end of 2014. This communication was strong on reassurance but weak in specifics. Continue Reading