Just months after securing the rights to a large portion of Prince’s catalog, Universal Music Group is looking to cancel the deal. According to a letter sent to Minnesota’s Carver County District Court, UMG is now calling on the court to rescind the deal and to get back the $31 million it paid for the rights. Continue Reading
Warner Music Group has signed a global licensing deal with YouTube, but the major label still reportedly expressed reservations about working with the video platform. CEO Steve Cooper has reportedly shared an internal memo with WMG that said the YouTube deal was signed “under very difficult circumstances.” Continue Reading
YouTube talent show draws on television talent; can podcast search engines help discovery; ASCAP conducts voter survey on music licensing. Continue Reading
Glenn Peoples has written a break-down of the royalty systems for Pandora’s three different services. “The direct licensing agreements Pandora has reached with labels has brought some changes to how royalties are paid for all three tiers,” he wrote. Continue Reading
Deezer is reportedly looking to change its licensing structure. Mark Mulligan of MIDiA Research exclusively reported that Deezer is looking to pay out fees based on the percentages of a listener’s subscription fee. This is a model dubbed user-centric licensing. Streaming platforms operate on a service-centric licensing model, where royalty payments are made to artists based on share of airplay across the entire listener base. Continue Reading
Dubset Media Holdings has secured a Series A fundraising round of $4 million. The company specializes in the licensing for remixes and determining all the appropriate rightsholders. Dubset has inked deals with streaming services including Apple Music and Spotify to get licensed remixes on those platforms. Continue Reading
Independent Music Publishers e-Licensing (IMPEL) announced that royalties it received from online music services increased 60% last year. The group collectively licenses the Anglo-American mechanical digital rights in Europe for publishers. Continue Reading
BMI and the Radio Music License Committee have set an interim licensing rate that will apply while the two parties continue negotiating a final rate. Judge Louis Stanton, who presides over BMI’s Federal Rate Court in the Southern District of New York, set the interim amount. Continue Reading
Facebook is reportedly still pushing for deals with music labels that would allow for use of licensed music in user posts. According to TechCrunch, label deals would most likely center on music used in videos. Continue Reading
UK music licensing groups PRS for Music and PPL have launched a joint license for the UK’s non-profit radio stations. The joint effort took effect on Jan. 1, 2017. Continue Reading
SESAC has been acquired by the Blackstone Group. The collection and licensing society bills itself as the only one in the U.S. handling public performance, mechanical, synchronization and other rights under a single umbrella. Financial details of the acquisition have not been revealed, but the deal is projected to close by the end of Q1 2017. Continue Reading
Kobalt announced that it will administer and provide publishing services for a majority of the legendary Elvis Presley’s catalog. The deal covers some of the “most desired tracks for film and TV trailers, soundtracks, and commercials,” Kobalt said in a statement. Continue Reading