Broadcast attorney David Oxenford digs into the Songwriter Equity Act in this comprehensive analysis of proposed legislation. “This is perhaps one of those questions that can never be answered — which is more important, the song or the singer?” Continue Reading
Pandora has hired Elizabeth Moody as vice president of global content licensing. She will be responsible for all content partnership strategy and negotiations. Music licensing is an imperative for Pandora and its investors, never more than this year. Continue Reading
The Download on Podcasts is a weekly feature sponsored by PodcastOne.
Micro-subscriptions on specialty crowdfunding platforms like Patreon and Recurrency offer independent podcasters a real chance at self-sufficiency. Success stories reveal an audience willing to pay for unique, personal, on-demand programs. Continue Reading
RAIN News has learned that NPR and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting have agreed to a 17% music licensing rate increase for the 2016-2020 royalty period. The new rate anchors an agreement between the nonprofit public media outlets and SoundExchange, the royalty collection and distribution entity representing artists and record labels to webcasters. Continue Reading
Pandora’s NYSE_traded stock jumped over seven percent on Friday, an unexpected upward spike generally attributed to buyout rumors. Even as those rumors circulated, they were discredited by some analysts. Continue Reading
The Download on Podcasts is a new weekly feature sponsored by PodcastOne.
In the Infinite Dial 2015, an ongoing research project produced by Edison Research and Triton Digital, the metrics and consumption behavior of podcast listeners are portrayed sharply. Podcast listeners are voracious! (They also trend toward affluence.) Continue Reading
The Senate Judiciary subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights held a hearing this morning to debate arguments for and against so-called Consent Decrees — decades-old laws which govern how ASCAP and BMI represent songwriters and publishers for music licensing. Here, summary and quotes. Continue Reading
The Download on Podcasts is a new weekly feature sponsored by PodcastOne.
Podcasting is generally known as a spoken-word audio category. But there is no technical roadblock to publishing musical podcasts. Legal restrictions are the problem — U.S. music licensing law that dates back to early days when podcasting operated differently than it does now. Everyone loses without an easier licensing framework for podcasts, but there are legal options. Continue Reading
One of the most intractable issues in music licensing is broadcast radio’s exemption from performance royalties to artists and labels for the use of recorded music. The exemption has the weight of history: It has always been so in the U.S., though not in most other countries with government-regulated music licensing. The situation’s rarity is not of concern to advocates of radio’s licensing privilege, who assert that radio’s traditional role in driving awareness, success, and sales of music performers is as vital today as ever. Continue Reading
SoundExchange filed its rebuttal document with the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB), part of the “Webcasting IV” proceeding which will set music licensing rates that govern online radio royalty payments to artists and labels for the 2016-2020 period. Pandora filed its… Continue Reading
Dozens of Swedish songwriters signed an OpEd in Aftonbladet, a leading Swedish newspaper, complaining of low royalty payouts from streaming services compared to royalties collected by record labels, and predicted an imploding industry if a different balance is not created. Spotify is a target, but record labels get more heat. Continue Reading
A lawsuit brought by VerStandig Broadcasting in Virginia last May, which sought to limit music royalty payments for its webcasts, has been ejected in a pre-trial dismissal by a federal judge. Judge Michael Urbanski reportedly dismissed the case as too “speculative” and “hypothetical” for trial. Continue Reading