Stories of Interest
One of the questions I’m most often asked, particularly by young or inexperienced members, is “why don’t composers have a union?” Virtually ever other craft in the film making process has a representative organization empowered to collectively bargain for wages and working conditions on their members’ behalf. The reality is that in days gone by, … Continue reading "PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE: Buyouts – Friend or Foe?"
Stories of Interest
ORIGINAL SOURCE: IndieWire
Date: July 30, 2019
Vying to steer the Writers Guild of America, there’s a slate of high-profile dissident candidates. Among them is “Chernobyl” writer-creator Craig Mazin, who recognizes that his proposed strategy in the screenwriters’ battle against talent agencies — compromising on the controversial practice of packaging — isn’t exactly sexy. Read more: https://www.indiewire.com/2019/07/wga-dissident-craig-mazin-phyllis-nagy-agency-packaging-dispute-1202161842/
Stories of Interest
Issues facing the music industry in improving data management.
Stories of Interest
The MMF has spent the last few years exploring how money flows from streaming services through to artists via our ‘Dissecting The Digital Dollar’ series of reports and guides produced with CMU Insights. This has included reviewing the debate around how the ‘digital pie’ is sliced, ie the ongoing discussions over how streaming income is … Continue reading "MMF Song Royalties Guide"
Stories of Interest
ORIGINAL SOURCE: Hollywood Reporter
Date: May 7, 2019
Defendant UMG Recordings, Inc. (“UMG”) respectfully submits this memorandum in support of its motion to dismiss the Complaint brought by Plaintiffs John Waite (“Waite”) and Joe Ely (“Ely”) (collectively, “Plaintiffs”), pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6).
Stories of Interest
ORIGINAL SOURCE: FERA
Date: April 8, 2019
Over the past decades, cultural and creative industries have gained recognition as important components of our society due to their role in the enrichment and development of culture (UNESCO, 2009). This importance of these industries are constituted by both economic and non-economic elements (impact on social cohesion, values, creative innovation, etc.). In recent years a … Continue reading "European Survey on the Renumeration of Audiovisual Authors"
Stories of Interest
The global recorded music market grew by 9.7% in 2018, the fourth consecutive year of growth. Figures released today in IFPI’s Global Music Report 2019 show total revenues for 2018 were US$19.1 billion.
Stories of Interest
ORIGINAL SOURCE: FERA
Date: March 25, 2019
The final results of a survey on European audiovisual authors’ remuneration demonstrate the urgent need for action to improve their situation. As the European Parliament is about to vote on the Directive for Copyright in the Digital Single Market which features essential provisions to improve authors’ remuneration, FERA, FSE and SAA urge MEPs to adopt … Continue reading "EUROPEAN SURVEY ON THE REMUNERATION OF AUDIOVISUAL AUTHORS"
Stories of Interest
ORIGINAL SOURCE: FIM
Date: February 28, 2019
Across the EU, the employment landscape has shifted significantly in recent years and the profile of the workforce has evolved in new directions. An increasing emphasis on flexibility and a move towards more intermittent, short-term, project-based ways of working across all sectors has resulted in a greater diversity of employment statuses. A growing percentage of … Continue reading "JOINT STATEMENT OF THE EUROPEAN FEDERATIONS REPRESENTING CULTURAL AND CREATIVE WORKERS"
Stories of Interest
ORIGINAL SOURCE: AEPO-ARTIS
Date: November 6, 2018
On 6 November 2018, AEPO-ARTIS released the preliminary version of its study “Performers’ Rights in International and European Legislation: Situation and Elements for Improvement, October 2018”.
Stories of Interest
Why self-employed workers need better rights? What unions are doing? Which priorities for the future?
Stories of Interest
The Music Consumer Insight Report tells the story of how recorded music is woven into the lives of people around the world.
Stories of Interest
ORIGINAL SOURCE: Citi GPS
Date: October 8, 2018
The music industry is in the midst of two profound changes. First, consumers are increasingly opting to rent — rather than buy — music. Second, the demise of physical music has prompted artists to tour more often, driving significant growth in concerts and festivals.
Stories of Interest
Rights and Revenues for Music Performers Since its inception in 1948, The International Federation of Musicians (FIM) has been working towards the recognition of intellectual property rights for music performers. FIM’s efforts have led or contributed to the adoption, at international level, of the Rome Convention (1961), the WPPT (1996) and the Beijing Treaty … Continue reading "Rights and Revenues for Music Performers"
Stories of Interest
Music continues its comeback story, powered by great new music, talented artists and a re-invented record industry. A business growing again, driven by a competitive paid streaming market, means new investments in more artists and more music. That is fundamentally what we’re all about.
Policy & Law Updates
ORIGINAL SOURCE: Fairness Rocks
Date: September 11, 2018
Tomorrow the European Parliament votes on new copyright law which has the potential to transform the livelihood of the talent. Every writer and performer should be looking eastward tomorrow (September 12th) for the EU Parliamentary vote on a new copyright law for the digital marketplace. Parts of the text have the power to be … Continue reading "Key Vote for the Talent tomorrow at EU Parliament"
Policy & Law Updates
Geoff Taylor, chief executive of the BPI, and Kim Bayley, chief executive of ERA, on why big-data and analytics matter for labels, artists and digital service providers alike
Policy & Law Updates
INTERNATIONAL LEGAL STUDY ON IMPLEMENTING AN UNWAIVABLE RIGHT OF AUDIOVISUAL AUTHORS TO OBTAIN EQUITABLE REMUNERATION FOR THE EXPLOITATION OF THEIR WORKS Study updated – May 2018 Submitted by Prof. Raquel Xalabarder Intellectual Property Chair – Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), Barcelona. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY authors of audiovisual works are granted exclusive rights to exploit their … Continue reading "AV Remuneration Study"
Policy & Law Updates
ORIGINAL SOURCE: Fairness Rocks
Date: April 24, 2018
The function of a music publisher on behalf of a songwriter or composer is threefold: To fund the production of original works; to promote the works by seeking exploitation opportunities; and to manage the licensing of rights and the resulting income, paying the money to the author according to contract. Different cultures prevail as … Continue reading "HOW SONGWRITERS AND COMPOSERS ARE CONTRACTED AND PAID"
Policy & Law Updates
A traditional contract between a band or solo artist and a record label is an interacting mesh of rights and obligations borne by both parties. No prizes for guessing which party carries the most obligations and which leads the field in having rights. That said, each party agrees to honour their respective roles in the … Continue reading "HOW RECORDING ARTISTS ARE CONTRACTED AND PAID"
Policy & Law Updates
“The big print giveth and the small print taketh away. ” – Tom Waits LABELS’ FAIR DIGITAL DEALS DECLARATION We make the following declaration in connection with the distribution of recordings in digital services. We will: Ensure that artists’ share of download and streaming revenues is clearly explained in recording agreements and royalty statements in … Continue reading "Fair Digital Deals Declaration"
Policy & Law Updates
Introduction A new class of website has arisen during this century that is based on users uploading materials (copyrighted and not) that other users can consume. These sites are described in several different ways, but I shall refer to them as user uploaded content (UUC) sites. The largest such site, YouTube, has well over a … Continue reading "ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF SAFE HARBOR PROVISIONS"
Policy & Law Updates
INTRODUCTION Welcome to the Nielsen Music Year-End Report, which examines the trends shaping the music industry with de nitive consumption gures and charts. The surge in streaming continued throughout 2017, topping all forms of music consumption. The industry had another record-breaking year, with 12.5% growth in music consumption year over year. For the rst time … Continue reading "Nielsen 2017 year end music report us"
Policy & Law Updates
INTRODUCTION The audiovisual industry makes a vital contribution to Europe both economically and culturally. There are approximately one million people directly working in the European audiovisual industry, an industry with ¤122 billion in revenues in 2013. 1,551 feature films were produced in 2013, box office receipts were ¤6.28 billion and a staggering 8,828 television channels … Continue reading "SAA 2nd Edition White paper on AV Authors Remuneration"
Policy & Law Updates
ORIGINAL SOURCE: Directors’ Guild of America
Date: January 5, 2018
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Policy & Law Updates
Policy & Law Updates
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ORIGINAL SOURCE: W&DW Congress Keynote Speech
Date: November 16, 2017
Keynote: Harry Shearer Thanks very much. I’m honored to have been asked to speak you today. As a humble laborer in the twisted vineyards of comedy, there’s nothing really new I can tell you. So, I invite you to enjoy a few minutes not so much of enlightenment, but more of a slightly dyspeptic … Continue reading "Harry Shearer’s Keynote Speech at the W&DW conference in Venice on November 2017"
Policy & Law Updates
ORIGINAL SOURCE: The state51 Conspiracy
Date: November 9, 2017
The Music Aggregator: Getting Unsigned Artists and Boutique Record Labels into the Digital Marketplace Intermediaries emerge in markets to help reduce inefficiencies by lowering transactions costs, providing better information about market standards, technical requirements (in this case of music) and increasing quality by enforcing compliance. Aggregators in the recorded music industry act as legal … Continue reading "The Music Aggregator: Getting Unsigned Artists and Boutique Record Labels into the Digital Marketplace"
Policy & Law Updates
Rights and Revenues for Actors Behind the Glamour Performers working in the audiovisual sector, whether in film, television or digital media, have been effectively subsidising these industries for as long as they have existed. This may sound like a bold statement, but it is in fact quite accurate for an overwhelming majority of them. … Continue reading "Rights and Revenues for Actors"
Policy & Law Updates
ORIGINAL SOURCE: Writers & Directors Worldwide
Date: September 13, 2017
How Screenwriters and Directors actually Get Paid The importance of fair remuneration for our culture and economies When one thinks about writers and directors, one instinctively pictures the handful of superstar movie moguls that in our minds, define the profession. The reality however is that the overwhelming majority of audiovisual creators are relatively unknown, self-employed … Continue reading "How Screenwriters and Directors actually Get Paid"
Policy & Law Updates
Overview The way creative works (such as music, film and TV series, books and others) are accessed by users has seen a huge transformation in the last ten years. With the rapid evolution of the digital world, new business models and services have developed along with new channels of delivery. This has also changed the … Continue reading "CISAC position paper on the transfer of value"
Policy & Law Updates
ORIGINAL SOURCE: SAA
Date: September 2016
A useful illustrated guide to how audio visual authors are remunerated for their creative work and the gross imbalance in negotiating strength between authors and the broadcasters/entertainment industry.
Policy & Law Updates
ORIGINAL SOURCE: Congress.gov
Date: May 15, 2015
https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/1733/text
Policy & Law Updates
ORIGINAL SOURCE: European Commission
Date: 2015
This study was carried out for the European Commission by Europe Economics and Lucie Guibault, Olivia Salamanca and Stef van Gompel of the University of Amsterdam Abstract This study analyses the current situation regarding the level of remuneration paid to authors and performers in the music and audio-visual sectors. We compare, from both a legal … Continue reading "Remuneration of authors and performers for the use of their works and the fixations of their performances"
Policy & Law Updates
ORIGINAL SOURCE: AEPO ARTIS
Date: December 2014
Introduction Under international, European and national legislations, performers are granted a protection for their performances in the field of music, audiovisual, dance or any other category of performing arts. Those rights are generally called performers’ rights. Like authors’ rights, performers’ rights can be divided in two categories: moral rights and economic rights.