All about copyright, understanding music licensing, and government regulations.
Mixcloud has secured a multi-territory licensing deal with ICE, a group offering music royalties administration across several European regions. The license for Mixcloud covers the repertoire from PRS for Music (UK), STIM (Sweden), and GEMA (Germany). Continue Reading
YouTube is updating its system for crediting music in video uploads. The video platform is adding a new section of information called “Music in this video” that will be applied to both official music videos from performers and to fan-uploaded content. Continue Reading
The final nail is in the coffin for a long-time patent troll. Personal Audio had claimed the intellectual property rights to podcasting, launching cases against influential players from the corporate CBS to the individual comedian Adam Carolla to try to collect licensing fees. Continue Reading
Digital rights agency Audiam has updated its client portal with the technology it uses to find unclaimed money for copyright owners. The change means that artists, songwriters, publishers, and labels can see reports on every version of their works across services, including covers that they may not have known about. The technology is called Layla, and it offers a granular view for tracking income. Continue Reading
After a successful and speedy road through the House of Representatives, the Music Modernization Act has been introduced in the Senate. The legislation would create some sweeping changes to mechanical royalties, and it has received strong backing from both parties on the Hill. Continue Reading
SoundExchange introduced a new tool called the Music Data Exchange. This application allows labels and publishers to share their data about music in a free database. It offers a hub for real-time metadata and data requests that could make it easier to claim ownership of a recording or composition. Continue Reading
The Music Modernization Act (MMA) has convincingly passed the U.S. House of Representatives. The pending legislation benefits the creative class of the music industry — songwriters and composers, and enjoys a remarkable degree of across-the-aisle support, both politically and in the music industry. Continue Reading
PRS for Music, a UK collection agency, announced that it paid out record royalties to its members last year. The group’s 2017 payouts totaled £605.1 million, up 14.7% from the 2016 amounts. PRS said that 6.6 trillion performances were reported last year, a 53% on-year increase that led to a record-high collection total of £717 million. Continue Reading
Facebook has continued its spree of licensing deals, inking a bunch of agreements with groups for independent artists. On Friday, it announced deals with Merlin, [PIAS], Beggar’s Group, and InGrooves. Those four groups will make their catalogs available to the social media network’s users. Continue Reading
The Music Modernization Act and its proposed changes to mechanical royalties have arrived in the House of Representatives. The bill was introduced on Tuesday and is scheduled for mark-up today. Continue Reading
Podcasting company and RawVoice subsidiary Blubrry announced a deal with SourceAudio, a B2B music licensing specialist, that will allow podcasters to use music in their shows. Blubrry’s customers will have access to the library of licensed music for their podcasts at a discount. Continue Reading
After several new additions to its team over the course of 2017, Facebook is back on a hiring spree. The social media network currently has two open job listings that focus on music licensing in the Asia-Pacific region. Continue Reading