NMPA says members opting in to Spotify mechanicals settlement

The National Music Publishers’ Association said that a large number of its members have signed on to participate in the $30 million settlement with Spotify over publishing royalties. “The vast majority of our members have opted into our settlement,” President and CEO David Israelite said of the arrangement. According to the terms of the settlement, Spotify will issue a list of sound recordings it owes mechanical royalties for. Publishers will then be able to claim their tracks and the corresponding share of the settlement fund.

The NMPA settlement drew a number of critics, including David Lowery, who has his own class-action lawsuit underway on the same subject. His legal team made an effort to see all of the correspondence Spotify had sent to potential class action participants. The move stemmed from concerns that artists might unknowingly waive their rights to sue for royalties by signing on to the settlement. Earlier in the year, the firm working with Lowery shared the insights that are currently available to songwriters with questions about the deal.