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Call for change in U.S. House committee hearing on music licensing

Posted on by Brad Hill

SPECIAL COVERAGE

On Tuesday the U.S House Judiciary Committee held the first of two hearings in its review of music licensing. These hearings potentially affect all stakeholders: radio stations, online music services, webcasters, performers, and creators.

Sharply-worded arguments politely flew around the House chamber. One congressman issued a powerful and comprehensive call for change. It was momentum vs. inertia, reform vs. status quo. Four main issues were in play:

  • Songwriters getting lower royalty rates than performing artists
  • Broadcast radio not paying artist royalties
  • Compulsory licensing that regulate music publishers
  • Pre-1972 songs that earn no royalties whatsoever
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SoundExchange CEO: Radio ruins record sales

Posted on by Brad Hill

In a punchy keynote address at the New Music Seminar in New York yesterday, SoundExchange CEO Michael Huppe provocatively claimed that music sales decrease when radio plays songs. Huppe used that theme to support an argument that broadcast radio should be required to pay performance royalties to artists and labels, from which radio is currently exempt. Continue Reading →

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Is streaming music just a phone service? ROK Mobile and telecom bundling

Posted on by Brad Hill

ROK Mobile is a new company which intends to join streaming music to mobile phone service more inseparably than ever before. The value equation of streaming music in a wireless phone plan, in an era when music listening is increasingly a mobile consumer behavior, is not lost on the founders of ROK Mobile, which will launch in the U.S. on July 4. Continue Reading →