All about copyright, understanding music licensing, and government regulations.
The Radio Music Licensing Committee and performing rights organization SESAC have reached a settlement in the antitrust lawsuit filed by RMLC in 2012. The suit alleged that SESAC, which is privately owned and not subject to government oversight like ASCAP or BMI, had essentially monopolized the music it licenses. Continue Reading
Three European rights agencies have inked an agreement to form a joint venture and launch a hub for digital rights. The participants are PRS for Music in the UK, GEMA in Germany, and STIM in Sweden. The goal of this hub is to make digital rights management faster and more efficient for single- and multi-territory licenses. Continue Reading
Universal Music Publishing Group has made updates to its Royalty Window portal, a B2B tool offering transparency into royalty collection. The new features include balance updates as royalties are processed during a period and requests for advances against incoming royalties without any additional fee. Continue Reading
Tidal is in the midst of a lawsuit regarding rapper Lil Wayne, who launched the “Free Weezy Album” on the streaming platform as an exclusive earlier this month. Cash Money Records, Lil Wayne’s longtime label, is suing Tidal for $50 million on allegations that it still has exclusive rights to Lil Wayne’s music. Continue Reading
NPR confirmed that it has withdrawn from the MIC Coalition. A representative from the public radio team confirmed the departure, but did not provide a reason. MIC, which stands for “music.innovation.consumers,” was formed earlier in 2015 with the stated goal of creating “a predictable, balanced and transparent music marketplace.” Continue Reading
The Fair Play, Fair Pay Act is getting a boost of support from an unusual corner. Two artists rights and management groups in the UK – the Music Managers Forum and the Feature Artists Coalition – have asked members to get involved with the social media campaign to raise awareness for the issue. The legislation aims to pay performance royalties to musicians for their plays on terrestrial radio. Continue Reading
Last week we reported (with some commentary) on Spotify’s email to iOS subscribers, which recommended unsubscribing from the music service in iTunes, and re-subscribing directly through Spotify. Now, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is reportedly examining Apple’s policy. Continue Reading
David Byrne joined SoundExchange as a board member back in May, and today he put his star power to work on the Capitol Hill. He joined SoundExchange CEO Michael Huppe in a meeting with Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), a co-sponsor of the Fair Play, Fair Pay Act. Continue Reading
SESAC is purchasing the Harry Fox Agency from the National Music Publishers’ Association. The acquisition unites performance and mechanical rights under SESAC’s umbrella of services, a unique development in the industry. Continue Reading
the legal issues around pre-1972 music royalty disputes are complex, tangled by conflicting federal and state regulations. State-court lawsuits in New York and California have favored plaintiffs seeking royalties from Pandora and Sirius XM, but a recent decision in Florida went the other way. Broadcast law attorney David Oxenford untangles. Continue Reading
Samsung has resolved its legal issue with the Korea Music Copyright Association over the Milk Music app. The tech major has inked a new contract with distributor Soribada that will take effect from the start of July 2015. The deal got the KMCA seal of approval on the condition that Milk “will strengthen its premium service,” according to the Korea IT Times. Continue Reading
Sirius XM has agreed to pay $210 million to settle a lawsuit centered on royalties for recordings made before 1972. The settlement covers about 80% of oldies played by Sirius, and allows the satellite radio company to play those labels’ old recordings through the end of 2017. Continue Reading