All about copyright, understanding music licensing, and government regulations.
As we reported on March 17, SoundExchange and National Public Radio (NPR) reached an agreement for webcast music licensing in the 2016-2020 royalty period. NPR agreed to increase the number of stations providing detailed census reporting of the music they play in webcasts. We spoke to Rusty Hodge of SomaFM about whether those reports are difficult to produce. Continue Reading
EMI Music has won a summary judgement against Grooveshark’s parent company on charges that the streaming platform infringed on its copyrights. There is a court date set for May 8 to determine the final damages, but they could end up being as high as $420 million for the 2,807 copyrighted tracks EMI found on the streaming service. Continue Reading
SoundExchange has filed a lawsuit against Muzak on charges that it is underpaying artists. The suit alleges that Muzak, a subsidiary of Mood Media Corporation, has used outdated music-licensing regulations to pay for recordings at below-market rates. Continue Reading
The European Commission, Europe’s main regulatory agency for business competition, has requested information from music labels about their agreements with Apple, according to the Financial Times. The inquiries are related to the planned relaunch of Beats Music this summer. Continue Reading
Yesterday we looked at the growing number of companies catering to the business needs of independent musicians. Another one appeared on the horizon today. Loudr’s niche is obtaining mechanical licenses for artists and labels that want to monetize song covers through online services. Its new platform for this service is called Loudr Licensing, and it is one of the only options that’s available to any artist interested in getting a mechanical license. Continue Reading
Several publishers have been vocal about their interest in splitting from the performing rights organizations ASCAP and BMI. Their goal is to exert more control over digital rights management, pushing for increased royalty rates from online streaming services for their songwriters. However, a group of professional organizations and guilds centered on songwriting has released an open letter to publishers asking them to reconsider. Continue Reading
Indie distribution company The Orchard announced that it has purchased RoyaltyShare, a royalty-processing service, and made a strategic investment in a second royalty processor, Korrect. Thanks to the combined elements of those businesses, The Orchard will be providing a standalone royalty processing service for independent record labels. Business management has been a pivotal topic for independent artists as more listening happens in the online space, especially with the popularity of streaming platforms. Continue Reading
Broadcast attorney David Oxenford digs into the Songwriter Equity Act in this comprehensive analysis of proposed legislation. “This is perhaps one of those questions that can never be answered — which is more important, the song or the singer?” Continue Reading
Pandora has hired Elizabeth Moody as vice president of global content licensing. She will be responsible for all content partnership strategy and negotiations. Music licensing is an imperative for Pandora and its investors, never more than this year. Continue Reading
RAIN News has learned that NPR and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting have agreed to a 17% music licensing rate increase for the 2016-2020 royalty period. The new rate anchors an agreement between the nonprofit public media outlets and SoundExchange, the royalty collection and distribution entity representing artists and record labels to webcasters. Continue Reading
Pandora’s NYSE_traded stock jumped over seven percent on Friday, an unexpected upward spike generally attributed to buyout rumors. Even as those rumors circulated, they were discredited by some analysts. Continue Reading
The Senate Judiciary subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights held a hearing this morning to debate arguments for and against so-called Consent Decrees — decades-old laws which govern how ASCAP and BMI represent songwriters and publishers for music licensing. Here, summary and quotes. Continue Reading