All about copyright, understanding music licensing, and government regulations.
Dubset is quietly collecting a growing roster of labels and libraries for its platform for quickly licensing compositions to use in remixes and DJ playlists. The latest addition is Warner Music Group, which is now one of the biggest labels to ink a partnership with the company. Continue Reading
Consent decrees are back in the headlines. These rules govern how performing rights organizations ASCAP and BMI collect fees for use of their catalogs, but now the Department of Justice is reviewing the decrees and considering their end. Today, ASCAP and BMI issued an open letter with their stance on the possible reforms. Continue Reading
Spotify has been positioning itself to roll out in India for many months, but its plans have hit a big hurdle. Warner Music Group has sued the streaming service, filing an injunction against it playing music by its songwriters in India. Continue Reading
A new version of the Local Radio Freedom Act has arrived before Congress, the third effort to pass legislation about radio industry royalties. The bill calls for protections that will block “any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge” from being levied against radio stations because they “provide free publicity and promotion to the recording industry and performers.” Continue Reading
Rhapsody and Napster have settled a long-standing class-action lawsuit over mechanical licensing. The settlement, filed in the U.S. District Court of Northern California, will see the streaming services make payouts to self-published songwriters whose compositions were played on the music platform. Continue Reading
The text of the EU Copyright Directive has been finalized, meaning the stage is set for a sweeping legal update that could have unintended consequences for online communication in the bloc. With the final language decided, new revisions cannot be made and the legislation will go to the European Parliament’s legal affairs committee ahead of a final vote, which is expected to occur in March or April. Continue Reading
Europe’s efforts for copyright law overhaul were controversial when they first progressed through Parliament, and the Copyright Directive measures have only become more contentious over time. Article 13 in particular could have far-reaching implications for not just copyright law, but the foundations of how people communicate and create on the Internet. Continue Reading
The Music Modernization Act is open to submissions for the management of the Mechanical Licensing Collective through March 21. A group comprised of the National Music Publishers’ Association, the Nashville Songwriters Association International, and the Songwriters of North America have made their bid for the leadership of the MLC. Continue Reading
Rumblefish and 7digital have broadened their existing relationship. Rights administration service Rumblefish is a division of the Harry Fox Agency. Under the new deal with B2B music specialist 7digital, Rumblefish will leverage its rights management solution to speed the launch of services and streamline administration for music distribution models powered by 7digital. Continue Reading
The European Copyright Directive passed one big hurdle in the fall, but the fate of the contentious legislative overhaul is now in question. Two components of the legal package have raised debate: Article 11, which lets publishers charge a fee when online platforms like Google or Facebook show snippets of their articles, and Article 13, which makes platforms such as YouTube liable for user-generated content that infringes copyright. Continue Reading
MIDiA Research has a new report examining YouTube’s impact on the international streaming market. Its assessment shares statistics from the video platform in Q3 2018 and shares insights as to how the recent legislation passed in Europe could have unintended effects on the music industry as a whole. Continue Reading
The passage of the Music Modernization Act in October was hailed as a watershed moment for the industry, a big step to bring the law in line with the latest trends in how and where music consumption happens. Work has now begun to enact one of the Act’s critical measures. Continue Reading