David Oxenford: Adele’s New Record is Not on Online Streaming Services – Except Where It Is – The Difference Between Interactive and Noninteractive Streaming

by David Oxenford

Broadcast law attorney and guest columnist David Oxenford explains the difference between interactive and non-interactive music services in the context of Adele’s new album release, which is withheld from on-demand listening platforms like Rhapsody and Spotify. Continue Reading

Rumor Fact(ory): Pandora may be near pre-1972 copyright settlement

The legal battles over royalties for songs recorded prior to 1972 have been an ongoing headache for labels and streaming services alike. Pandora has been the subject of a couple legal forays in this regard, including one lawsuit filed by recording companies in New York State Supreme Court. The New York Post has reported that Pandora may be on the brink of a settlement to end that case. Continue Reading

Aurous music platform launches under dark legal clouds

There’s a new streaming service on the horizon and it’s already attracted lots of buzz and lots of scrutiny. Aurous is a free and ad-free music platform that pulls its tunes from licensed third-party sources such as SoundCloud, YouTube, and Spotify. Within days of its official alpha launch, the service was hit with a lawsuit by the RIAA alleging massive copyright infringement. Continue Reading

New ABS Entertainment pre-1972 copyright suit targets Pandora, Sirius XM

ABS Entertainment has embarked on a legal crusade to collect royalties for its pre-1972 recordings. ABS filed suits against broadcast radio groups in California earlier in the summer, and now it has put two digital platforms in the crosshairs as well. RAIN News received a copy of a lawsuit filed earlier this week by the pair against Sirius XM and Pandora. Continue Reading

Survey shares insights on European digital music use and cross-border copyrights

Subscription access to entertainment is becoming more prevalent, but different international markets face different challenges in executing that vision. For instance, people in the EU bloc may have difficulties accessing their digital services when traveling across country borders. A study by the European Commission found that cross-border access to entertainment subscriptions is important for nearly one in three Europeans. The research also had some data points specifically about music listening habits in the EU. Continue Reading

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Judge for Turtles v. Sirius XM royalty suit won’t hear case against broadcast radio

Judge Philip Gutierrez has chosen not to add the latest pre-1972 royalty lawsuit to his docket. ABS Entertainment filed a suit against CBS, Cumulus, and iHeartMedia in an effort to collect royalties for those radio groups’ use of songs recorded prior to the adoption of federal copyright law. The plaintiff tried to have the case transferred to Gutierrez since it focused on potential infringement under the same statute as the suit filed by Flo & Eddie against Sirius XM. Continue Reading