All about copyright, understanding music licensing, and government regulations.
Apple has reportedly signed new licensing agreements for its streaming service. Financial Times reported that the company secured multi-year deals with the three majors. Continue Reading
Soundstripe, a production music startup, announced two new plans offering access to royalty-free music for enterprise businesses. The company said it envisions larger operations such as creative marketing agencies, higher education institutions, media companies, and film production companies as its clientele. Continue Reading
The Copyright Royalty Board’s 2018 ruling for mechanical royalties to be paid by streaming services has been on the books for awhile, but it will be returning to court this week. Four streaming services filed appeals against the ruling in March, and the U.S. Court of Appeals will begin hearing arguments from the legal counsel for Amazon and Spotify today. Continue Reading
Warner Music Group has gotten a reprieve in court. A federal judge in California declined to certify a class action lawsuit that claimed the label did not pay artists the correct share of digital streaming royalties. In addition, the label appears to be adjusting its IPO timeline. Continue Reading
Canadian collections agency SOCAN announced last week that it set a new record in 2019. The group saw an estimated C$405.5 million in collections during the year, a total that was 8% higher than its previous record of C$375 million in 2018. Continue Reading
Global music rights expert Deborah Mannis-Gardner shared her insights about the key facts of podcast licensing with RAIN. This post breaks down the basics of licensing music for your show. Continue Reading
Boomplay Music has partnered with MUSO for an effort to reduce piracy in Africa. The streaming service is owned by China-based Transsnet Music Limited but focuses on listeners in African countries. Continue Reading
The Radio Music License Committee won a victory in court over the performing rights organization Global Music Rights. GMR launched in 2014 under a joint venture from former Live Nation Entertainment chairman Irving Azoff and the Madison Square Garden Company. Continue Reading
SoundExchange has made a move to increase the rates paid to American music creators for international uses of their work. The rights management agency for performance royalties claims that U.S. music creators could be losing out on $170 million annually from this use case. Continue Reading
The Chinese government may have given a reprieve to Tencent Music Entertainment. Sources familiar with the situation told Bloomberg that the State Administration of Market Regulation, China’s antitrust authority, has suspended its investigation into the company. Continue Reading
Europe’s move to adopt new copyright laws was a top story in tech headlines last year. While music organizations all around the EU were part of the push for adoption, the UK was a notable presence in the lobbying effort. Now, the UK may not see the results of their efforts. Continue Reading
One of the more recent streaming service lawsuits is expanding its reach. In November, Sosa Entertainment and Pro Music Rights filed a suit against Spotify. Pro Music Rights has filed additional lawsuits against ten more streaming services. Continue Reading