Judge rules against the Turtles’ involvement in Sirius/RIAA settlement

Another chapter in the saga between Sirius XM and Flo & Eddie has unfolded and potentially concluded. Following the satellite radio company’s settlement with the RIAA for $210 million in royalties for playing songs recorded before federal copyright law took effect, the former Turtles members tried to argue that the settlement would impede its class action efforts against Sirius. The duo made an effort to change the settlement payout, but yesterday received a ruling that the deal with the RIAA did not impact Flo & Eddie’s class action efforts. Continue Reading

Sirius XM gets a win from Florida judge in Turtles pre-1972 copyright lawsuit

Sirius XM was on a big losing streak in its series of lawsuits filed by Flo & Eddie, the company representing members of The Turtles. Flo & Eddie has sued Sirius XM in three states for its public performance of the band’s songs recorded prior to 1972 when federal copyright law took effect. While the suits in New York and California have been favoring the case made by Flo & Eddie, Sirius XM just got a win in Florida. Continue Reading

Internet Radio Rewind #045: Return of “Serial”; Sirius XM lawsuit; music service hack

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The weekly update of the streaming audio industry, from RAIN News. THIS WEEK: “Serial” producers plan next two seasons; GAANA hacked; Sirius XM lawsuit deepens; new podcast network; Android vs iOS in the car. Continue Reading

Sirius XM now facing class action over pre-1972 royalties in California

U.S. District Judge Philip Gutierrez has approved class action status for Flo & Eddie’s lawsuit against Sirius XM. The new class action certification means that other artists whose music was recorded before the advent of federal copyright law can join the lawsuit to seek damages. Sirius XM had argued that it would be difficult to calculate damages for the different artists joining the suit, but was unable to convince the judge. Continue Reading

Internet Radio Rewind #041: Should radio pay? Pandora earnings; something new for podcasting

A weekly podcast from RAIN News

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The weekly update of the streaming audio industry, from RAIN News. THIS WEEK: Copyright chief wants radio to pay; Copyright Royalty Board starts a music licensing trial; Sirius XM earnings; Pandora earnings; something new for podcasting. Continue Reading

Sirius XM wins right to appeal in New York for pre-1972 copyright suit

U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon has granted Sirius XM the right to appeal its New York lawsuit over royalties for pre-1972 recordings. McMahon wrote that she granted appeal permission because of “a critically important controlling question of law” and uncertainty about whether Sirius XM had fair use to make temporary copies of the music. She determined that the case “warrants a close look by a controlling court.” Continue Reading

Proposed class actions could hit Beats, Rdio, Google, and more with pre-1972 copyright judgments

On Thursday, Zenbu Magazines filed multiple proposed class-action lawsuits against several streaming services seeking to collect royalties on music recorded before 1972. The company targeted Beats Electronics, Sony Entertainment, Google, Rdio, Songza, Slacker, and Escape Media Group (which owns Grooveshark) in the complaints. Continue Reading

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Sirius XM gets another hit in Turtles lawsuit

In November, New York judge Colleen McMahon ruled against Sirius XM’s request for summary dismissal of a lawsuit filed by The Turtles that seeks $100 million in royalties from the satellite radio company. This week, she reaffirmed that ruling, rejecting Sirius XM’s arguments that Flo & Eddie did not own copyrights for recordings by The Turtles made before Feb. 15, 1972, which are not protected by federal law. Continue Reading