All about copyright, understanding music licensing, and government regulations.
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
Two search engines have signed on for a voluntary code of practice that would make it harder for people to find illegal streaming and download sites. Both Google and Microsoft have signed on for this code, although neither has agreed to take specific action yet. Continue Reading
CISAC has signed a memorandum of understanding with the African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation. This arrangement is a step towards strengthening copyright, technical exchange, education, and training of organizations collecting creator revenues. 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
The European Union has passed new rules aimed at advancing plans for a unified digital market in the bloc. The recent ruling allows online service subscribers from one nation to access those platforms when they travel to other countries in the EU. Streaming music falls under the umbrella of this “portability” rule. Continue Reading
SOCAN, Canada’s licensing and collection society, posted an 8% increase in revenue for 2016. It was a record-breaking year for the group’s revenue collected and for payouts distributed. 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
As power is transferred in Washington this week, the leading coalition of artists and labels lobbying against terrestrial radio’s exemption from music royalties is bringing its argument to the fore. In an open letter to the new 115th Congress, musicFIRST lays out its argument against the Local Radio Freedom Act, a non-binding resolution supported by hundreds of House and Senate members. The letter contains factual flaws. Open-market solutions establish a precedent that doesn’t involve lawmakers. Continue Reading
Pandora has been re-thinking its licensing, inking direct deals with labels and publishers over the past two years. Despite those changes to the audio company’s licensing structures, SoundExchange will still be managing Pandora’s payouts to artists from the free tier. Continue Reading
Sacem, France’s collection society for songwriters and composers, announced a collaboration with IBM to create a new online royalty system. The project is called URights and will be built on the IBM Cloud. It could improve the ability to track online music usage and rights payments, as well as offering data analytics and local customizations. Continue Reading
Almost exactly one year after Live365 went dark, sending thousands of small webcasters scrambling for new platforms or giving up their stations, Live365 is back. Details are scarce, but this is what we know now. Continue Reading