The implementation of the Music Modernization Act took another important step forward today. The Mechanical Licensing Collective has secured a deal with the Digital Licensing Coordinator, which represents digital music services that will fund the launch and operation of the collective. Continue Reading
Progress continues with the Mechanical Licensing Collective, the organization formed by the Music Modernization Act to administer the new blanket licenses. The MLC has said it will need $37.25 million to build the structure and set its first-year operating budget at $29 million. Continue Reading
Spotify has seen its share of lawsuits, and the latest is targeting more than just the streaming service. Eight Mile Style, the publisher representing Eminem and others, has alleged that Spotify infringed on copyrights related to about 250 of the rapper’s songs. The suit also targets the recently passed Music Modernization Act. Continue Reading
The U.S. Copyright Office has made an important step forward in enacting the provisions passed by the Music Modernization Act last fall. The office selected the group led by the National Music Publishers Association to manage the creation and operation of the Mechanical Licensing Collective. Continue Reading
Several streaming services drew the ire of songwriting groups when they moved to appeal the mechanical royalty rates set by the Copyright Royalty Board. Although Amazon, Google, and Pandora are also participating in the appeal, Spotify has been shouldering the bulk of the critique. Continue Reading
The Copyright Royalty Board rates set for 2018 through 2022 are soon to face a legal challenge. A group of streaming and technology platforms — including Spotify, Google, Pandora, and Amazon — filed notices that they intend to appeal the mechanical statutory licensing rates for that period. Continue Reading
The passage of the Music Modernization Act in October was hailed as a watershed moment for the industry, a big step to bring the law in line with the latest trends in how and where music consumption happens. Work has now begun to enact one of the Act’s critical measures. Continue Reading
Spotify has reached a settlement with Wixen. The independent publisher filed a $1.6 billion lawsuit against the streaming service at the start of the year on claims that Spotify had hosted tens of thousands of compositions from Wixen without the correct mechanical licenses. Continue Reading
The Music Modernization Act has been signed into law, ending a long battle to overhaul mechanical licensing and rights for both publishers and songwriters at the federal level. The law, as compromised between the Senate and the House of Representatives, has the same three central components as it did while progressing through Congress. Continue Reading
Spotify is facing down another legal case, with a lawsuit filed in July 2017 moving forward in courts. Bluewater Music Services Corporation filed claims of copyright infringement by the streaming platform, listing nearly 2,400 songs where it said Spotify had not acquired the proper licenses. Continue Reading
The Music Modernization Act has passed by unanimous consent in the Senate, an approval that marks a huge step forward towards overhauling mechanical licensing in the United States. The legislation took a risky path of hotlining, where unanimous support is required for approval. Continue Reading
The Music Modernization Act, a sweeping overhaul of mechanical copyright laws, could face its final hurdle in the Senate today. Billboard has cited sources who claim the legislation could be hotlined for the Senate this afternoon. Hotlining is a process for proposed laws that are expected to be passed unanimously by a verbal vote. Continue Reading