Thought Leaders

Interviews with, and contributions from, the most perceptive voices in the online audio industry.

Mark Mulligan: Why It Is Time To Make YouTube Look Less Like Spotify And More Like Pandora

Posted on by Mark Mulligan

by Mark Mulligan

Midia Research founder Mark Mulligan analyzes the “freemium” space by comparing YouTube (and its new Music Key subscription service) to Spotify and Pandora. YouTube has changed from a marketing tool to a full-fledged listening destination, the author asserts, and should be modeled more like Pandora than Spotify. Continue Reading →

New York Court Finds Public Performance Right in Pre-1972 Recordings; How Will this Affect Music Use?

Posted on by David Oxenford

by David Oxenford

David Oxenford explains potential impacts and consequences of the latest pre-1972 copyright court action. “All music users that play oldies, whether the businesses be digital music services, radio stations, bars and restaurants or retail outlets, need to be carefully following the action in this case.” Continue Reading →

David Oxenford: Noncommercial Webcasters Royalty Rate Proposals for 2016-2020

Posted on by Brad Hill

Noncommercial webcasters are often forgotten in the discussion of the current proceeding to set Internet radio sound recording royalties. But, along with the royalties for commercial webcasters, the current Copyright Royalty Board proceeding will also set the rates for noncommercial webcasters. Broadcast attorney and frequent guest contributor David Oxenford explains everything. Continue Reading →

Advertising Doesn’t Need to Fight the Machines

Posted on by Bret Kinsella

Many in the advertising world think of Big Data as a damper to the creative process and the cause of the “wind tunnel” effect. What they don’t realize is that Big Data is more likely to become marketing’s biggest ally than its mortal enemy. Guest column by Bret Kinsella of XAPPmedia. Continue Reading →

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Roger Lanctot: Free Radio @ Risk

Posted on by Roger Lanctot

Could wireless carriers take over the broadcast of radio content, removing a vital source of free, over-the-air content and information delivery? Guest Columnist Roger Lanctot of Strategy Analytics examines the question in the context of a Teracom report which denies it could ever happen. Lanctot didn’t think it could either … until he heard the report. Continue Reading →

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The SoundCloud Conundrum: The intersection of copyright holders and revenue sharing on user-generated content platforms.

Posted on by Michael Spinelli

by Mike Spinelli

SoundCloud’s kettle boiled over this summer when major labels (“the majors”) started to enforce their intellectual property rights upsetting the service’s large community of Producers and DJs. After seven years of maintaining the same service, SoundCloud took drastic steps to change its design, and more importantly, its functionality. Many of the functionality changes likely occurred from the growing concern over potentially copyright-infringing works that inhabit the platform. Although SoundCloud has remedied the situation temporarily to satisfy the smaller artists, it could run into further problems down the road. Continue Reading →

David Oxenford: Court Ruling for pre-1972 Music: What Does It Mean?

Posted on by David Oxenford

by David Oxenford

“This is a very surprising decision,” writes broadcast attorney David Oxenford in this comprehensive analysis of a federal court ruling in California. Looking forward, much depends on whether the surprising decision is upheld in appeal, and whather it is replicated in other courtrooms and states. “If this decision were upheld, the potential ramifications for business in California could be great.” Oxenford, who wrote about “The Summer of Copyright” this year, declares the start of what could be an equally contentious new season — “The Autumn of Copyright has begun!” Continue Reading →