The National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), and the Digital Media Association (DiMA) have officially unveiled a settlement agreement for the Phonorecords IV proceeding, which covers 2023-2027.
Month: August 2022
SAG-AFTRA Members Vote to Ratify Netflix Deal
SAG-AFTRA members have voted to ratify the union’s latest stand-alone contract deal with Netflix.
After the voting period ended Aug. 31, the vote was 89.03 percent in favor of the new contract, the union announced Wednesday. SAG-AFTRA and the streamer first reached the tentative deal in early August, and the union’s national board approved it just days after, recommending that union members vote “yes.”
Settlement Announced For Phonorecords IV Proceeding — Streaming Services Agree to 15.35% Headline Rate For 2023-2027
The National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), and the Digital Media Association (DiMA) have officially unveiled a settlement agreement for the Phonorecords IV proceeding, which covers 2023-2027.
Larry Heard and Robert Owens settle Trax Records dispute, reclaim their music rights
Management firm TaP Music last week confirmed that Larry Heard and Robert Owens – prominent players from the 1980s Chicago house scene and two thirds of Fingers Inc – have settled their legal dispute with Trax Records, the label they worked with in the mid-80s. The deal confirms that the duo own all the rights in the music they released with the label.
Inventing Anna: Rachel DeLoache Williams sues Netflix for defamation
A former Vanity Fair photo editor has sued Netflix over how she was portrayed in the hit series Inventing Anna.
Rachel DeLoache Williams was among the real people who were depicted in the true-life drama about “fake heiress” Anna Delvey, aka Anna Sorokin.
Read More: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-62727106
The Local Radio Freedom Act Has Majority Support in the House, NAB Says — Major Labels Fire Back Against ‘Meaningless’ Measure
The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has announced that the Local Radio Freedom Act is now backed by a bipartisan majority in the House of Representatives.
Read More: https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2022/08/29/local-radio-freedom-act-house-support/?mc_cid=5c91bb9ef1
Paramount Seeks to Throw Out ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Copyright Lawsuit
Paramount filed a motion on Friday to dismiss a lawsuit that claims that “Top Gun: Maverick” infringes on the copyright of the 1983 magazine article that was the source material for the original film.
Taylor Swift’s Lover book accused of ripping off elements of earlier poetry collection
Taylor Swift has been sued yet again over allegations that she has ripped off another creator’s work. Though this time it’s not a song-theft lawsuit. Instead, writer Teresa La Dart claims that a book that accompanied a deluxe version of Swift’s 2019 ‘Lover’ album contains various creative elements in common with a book of poetry she published in 2010, also called ‘Lover’.
17,000 people say the Internet Is already broken
As the leaders of the Artist Rights Alliance, Copyright Alliance, and CreativeFuture, we believe in the right of creative people to make a living through their creativity, ingenuity, and hard work. But that work is being undermined by the existential threat of digital piracy.
Read More: https://thehill.com/opinion/congress-blog/3615621-17000-people-say-the-internet-is-already-broken/
Kobalt Music Removes All Music from Facebook, Instagram — And the Standoff Begins
Kobalt Music is removing its 700,000-song catalog from Instagram and Facebook due to license expiry.
The company says its music licensing agreement with Meta expired and the two parties have failed to reach a favorable agreement to renew. Kobalt Music administers songs for artists such as Childish Gambino, Foo Fighters, Billie Eilish co-writer FINNEAS, Beck, and many others.
AI rapper FN Meka dropped by Capitol over racial stereotyping
A record label has cut ties with an AI rapper after criticism it contained racial stereotypes, including repeated use of the N-word.
FN Meka is an artificial intelligence musician given the appearance of a black male cyborg.
But Capitol Music Group (CMG) faced a backlash for signing the rapper.
Read More: https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-62659741
Swedish Rights Collecting Society STIM Offers YouTubers Pre-Licensed ‘Hits’ for Videos
STIM, The Swedish Performing Rights Society, is now providing YouTubers unlimited access to a broad catalog of copyright-protected ‘hit’ music.
The Swedish Performing Rights Society, STIM, presents Cora Music, providing YouTubers unlimited access to a catalog of copyright-protected, high-quality music. For a monthly fee of €25, users can select from a broad music catalog and add tracks directly to their creative content with no additional costs or catches.
Read More: https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2022/08/24/stim-youtubers-one-stop-shop-music/?mc_cid=e4d9dbd5ad
Orleans Lawsuit Against WMG Reveals The Truth About Streaming Fees
There’s the old joke of three people interviewing for head of royalties. They’re all given the same complicated accounting problem. The first whipped out a calculator and started running numbers at the interview. After a couple hours, the work produced a result. The second asked if he could take it home and came back the next day with a result.
Google Fires Back Against Composer Maria Schneider’s Content ID Lawsuit: ‘YouTube’s Novel Copyright Management Tools Are So Powerful, They Must Be Used With Care’
YouTube has officially fired back against Grammy-winning jazz composer Maria Schneider and several other parties who are suing over alleged Content ID discrimination.
Hollywood Talent Agency Strikes Deal With Writers Guild to End Boycott
LOS ANGELES (CN) — The Writers Guild of America restored Hollywood talent firm Creative Artists Agency’s ability to represent screenwriters after agreeing Wednesday to end a nearly two-year legal battle over talent packaging fees.
11 Actors Who Made Over $20 Million For Just One Movie, And 11 Who Were Stupidly Underpaid
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Michelle was paid $625,000 for her performance in All the Money in the World which earned her a Golden Globes nomination. In comparison, her costar Mark Wahlberg made $5 million — nearly ten times her pay.
UFC Sues Documentary Production Team in Copyright Dispute
At a time when The Last Dance, Athlete A, Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist and other popular documentaries prominently feature copyrighted audiovisuals of athletes, the UFC is suing the producers of Bisping: The Michael Bisping Story over unauthorized video use. The case could set important precedent for leagues and the documentarians who seek their footage.
Read More: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/ufc-sues-documentary-production-team-130000553.html
Eddy Grant to subpoena Donald Trump’s former Deputy Chief Of Staff in Electric Avenue campaign video dispute
In the wider scheme of things, ongoing litigation in relation to his unapproved use of Eddy Grant’s ‘Electric Avenue’ in a 2020 campaign video probably isn’t a major cause of stress for former US President Donald Trump. But that lawsuit proceeds, and now the Grant side has got an extension to the case’s discovery phase in order to subpoena Trump’s former Deputy Chief Of Staff Dan Scavino.
Megan Thee Stallion ramps up label dispute, demands a million dollars in damages
Following the recent release of her new album ‘Traumazine’, Megan Thee Stallion has ramped up her ongoing legal battle with her label 1501 Certified Entertainment, now seeking a million dollars in damages as well as court confirmation that she has fulfilled her obligations under her current record deal. She also accuses 1501 of leaking that new album and forcing her to fast track its release.
Venues Refuse to Pay Songwriters While Profiting from Their Music
ASCAP Seeks to Protect its Songwriters’ Livelihoods by Taking Legal Action Against 7 Venues Nationwide for Performing Their Musical Works Without Permission
Read More: https://www.ascap.com/press/2022/08/08-23-venues-refuse-pay-songwriters
George Lopez is the latest comedian to sue Pandora for copyright infringement
The lawsuits are piling up for Pandora, which has been accused by comedians, including Lewis Black and Andrew Dice Clay, of streaming their works without the proper license. Now, George Lopez is joining the fray, seeking $5.5 million from the streamer.
Read More: https://completemusicupdate.com/article/yet-another-comedian-sues-pandora-over-unlicensed-jokes/
Californian Supreme Court rules on free speech claims in Michael Jackson fake vocals dispute
The Californian Supreme Court has ruled against Sony Music and the Michael Jackson estate in regard to a free speech question that was raised after it was alleged that three tracks on the posthumous Michael Jackson album ‘Michael’ did not in fact feature the star’s vocals.
Orleans case sheds light on fees, fees, and more fees
There’s the old joke of three people interviewing for head of royalties. They’re all given the same complicated accounting problem. The first whipped out a calculator and started running numbers at the interview. After a couple hours, the work produced a result. The second asked if he could take it home and came back the next day with a result.
Read More: https://musictechpolicy.com/2022/08/22/orleans-case-sheds-light-on-fees-fees-and-more-fees/
BMI Announces Layoffs After Abandoning Goldman-Assisted Sales Pursuit
About one week after ending its pursuit of a more than billion-dollar sale, Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) has announced a round of layoffs.
Team members were just recently informed of the unfortunate news via email, though at the time of this piece’s writing, none of the affected professionals appeared to have commented publicly on the matter. Similarly, the performance rights organization itself hasn’t yet addressed the subject with a statement on its website.
Read More: https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2022/08/22/bmi-layoffs-2022/?mc_cid=7608ba358a
Is there a green solution to the vinyl record backlog?
The backlog in the vinyl industry since the pandemic began means that artists and some music fans are having to wait around a year to receive their records.
Read More: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-62426472
Academy unearths long-lost ‘race films’ in Black cinema exhibit
Long before Denzel Washington, Spike Lee or even Sidney Poitier, generations of pioneering and revolutionary Black US filmmakers played a key role in shaping early American cinema and dispelling pejorative stereotypes, a major new Hollywood exhibition argues.
SiriusXM Is Now Compelling Spoken-Word Creators to Waive The ‘Rights to All Underlying Comedy Routines’
Last month, stand-up star Lewis Black became the latest comedian to sue SiriusXM’s Pandora amid a broader royalties dispute. Now, evidence suggests that SiriusXM is attempting to compel different comedy professionals yet to waive their composition rights, possibly in order to add albums to Pandora.
Read More: https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2022/08/18/siriusxm-pandora-comedians-battle/?mc_cid=052b58e43c
SAG-AFTRA’s Lobbying Efforts Helped Seal Exclusivity Deals With Netflix & AMPTP
A confluence of hard bargaining and legislative lobbying helped secure significant gains in two new agreements SAG-AFTRA reached earlier this month covering exclusivity, which are standard provisions in TV contracts that can hold TV series regulars off the market and unable to work for unreasonably long periods of time, guild leaders said in a podcast released on Thursday.
How to make movies without a huge carbon footprint
The green memo sent out by the production team of the programme Poldark asked that the location department use low-carbon suppliers of lighting and reusable batteries wherever possible.
The request was vague and the expectations unclear. But such requests are increasingly mainstream and point to the growing awareness in the film and TV industry of its carbon dioxide emissions.
Read More: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-62051070
How artists are exploiting lax metadata protections by streaming services
While the exact number is in dispute, in what has now become an infamous statistic, at a minimum music streaming services (“DSPs”) are ingesting tens of thousands of new tracks every single day.
At such a scale, metadata becomes a very thorny subject; DSPs, at the mercy of the quality of information provided to them, are sorting through an almost unmanageable wave of data.
YouTube Fights to Limit Data Disclosure in Battle with Grammy-Winning Composer Maria Schneider
In July of 2020, Grammy-winning composer Maria Schneider sued YouTube over alleged Content ID discrimination. Now, about two weeks after a judge rejected the Google-owned platform’s motion to dismiss the long-running complaint, YouTube is fighting to limit the data that it must disclose.
A Closer Look at Trolley — The Canadian Fintech Taking Aim at Royalty Payment Complexity
Between today’s many royalty streams and their distinct tax implications, music industry payments are more complex than ever. Now, with a new name and a multimillion-dollar Series A under its belt, customizable payout platform Trolley is looking to optimize the royalties space.
SAG-AFTRA Reaches Deal With Studios on Actors’ Exclusivity
SAG-AFTRA announced on Monday evening that it has reached a tentative agreement with the major studios on actor exclusivity periods, an issue that has become a top priority for the union in recent years.
TikTok Curators Are Helping Songs Go Viral — and Labels Are Writing Checks
TikTokers used to find music primarily through dance trends. Now they’re gravitating to creators who recommend new songs.
That Was My Idea! How Hollywood Is Avoiding Story Theft Claims
A ragtag group of misfits, each with their own unique skill, bands together to pull off a high-stakes con. Depending on your preferences and streaming subscriptions, the film that comes to mind could be the 1955 classic Rififi, this year’s DreamWorks animated comedy The Bad Guys or any of the dozens of other heist movies like The Sting, Reservoir Dogs, Ocean’s Eleven, Now You See Me and Baby Driver that were released in between.
Read More: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/hollywood-story-theft-claims-1235195241/
WGA West Board Candidates Address Wide Range Of Issues Ahead Of Next Year’s Contract Talks And Possible Strike
Next year’s contract talks and a possible writers strike are looming large over the WGA West’s ongoing board election, in which 17 candidates are vying for eight open seats. The WGA’s current contract doesn’t expire until May 1, but in their campaign statements, many of the candidates are making it clear that they’re prepared to strike if the guild can’t get a fair deal at the bargaining table.
Long-running lawsuit over disputed Michael Jackson vocals dismissed
The long-running lawsuit over whether or not three songs that appeared on a posthumous Michael Jackson album actually featured the vocals of an impersonator has been settled. It follows the recent removal of those songs from said album on the streaming services.
Why’d That Movie Disappear? Welcome to Streaming’s Memory Hole Era
The French director, film critic and voracious cinephile Francois Truffaut once suggested a thought experiment. Imagine, he said, that there was only one copy of a book, and that copy was held in a single library, and you could only read it while inside that library. This was how film lovers were obliged to check out the objects of their desire before repertory theaters, videotape and streaming platforms brought the elusive history of cinema, so long beyond reach, into the palm of our hands.
How Did Two Unknown Latin Music Operators Make $23 Million From YouTube? The IRS Says They Stole It
Inside the brazen but surprisingly simple scheme that took royalties from songs by artists like Daddy Yankee, Anuel AA, Julio Iglesias and more.
Read More: https://www.billboard.com/pro/youtube-fraud-royalties-scam-irs-latin-chenel-yenddi-mediamuv-adrev/
Music producer challenges copyright infringement claims over hit rap song
ATLANTA (CN) — A rap battle found its way to the 11th Circuit on Tuesday, where judges heard arguments in a producer’s appeal of a ruling that he had infringed on rapper Rackboy Cam’s copyright of the 2015 song “Everything Be Lit.”
Taylor Swift Submits Sworn Testimony In Latest ‘Shake It Off’ Copyright Infringement Battle: The Lyrics ‘Were Written Entirely By Me’
Taylor Swift has officially submitted sworn testimony in response to one of multiple copyright infringement lawsuits she’s faced over “Shake It Off.”
The 32-year-old singer-songwriter just recently pushed back against the complaint, which was filed half a decade ago by Sean Hall and Nate Butler, songwriters on a track called “Playas Gon’ Play.”
Read More: https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2022/08/09/taylor-swift-shake-it-off-infringement-suit/
How Did Two Unknown Latin Music Operators Make $23 Million From YouTube? The IRS Says They Stole It
Inside the brazen but surprisingly simple scheme that took royalties from songs by artists like Daddy Yankee, Anuel AA, Julio Iglesias and more.
Read More: https://www.billboard.com/pro/youtube-fraud-royalties-scam-irs-latin-chenel-yenddi-mediamuv-adrev/
SAG-AFTRA Board Approves Tentative Netflix Agreement
SAG-AFTRA Board Approves Tentative Netflix Agreement
Read More: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/sag-aftra-netflix-agreement-1235195196/
musicFIRST chair accuses US radio giants of hypocrisy
The Chairman of the musicFIRST Coalition in the US – former Congress member Joe Crowley – last week accused American radio giants iHeart and Cumulus of hypocrisy after they bigged up their profits to investors on Wall Street while simultaneously telling law-makers in Washington that they can’t afford to pay royalties to record labels and recording artists.
Read More: https://completemusicupdate.com/article/musicfirst-chair-accuses-us-radio-giants-of-hypocrisy/
Judge declines to dismiss Lil Yachty’s Ditto Music lawsuit on jurisdiction grounds
A court in California has declined to dismiss on jurisdiction grounds Lil Yachty’s lawsuit against DIY distributor Ditto Music and its co-founder Lee Parsons. It means the litigation – in relation to the music NFT start-up also founded by Parsons, Opulous – can proceed.
US judge declines to dismiss Maria Schneider legal battle with YouTube over Content ID access
A US judge has declined to dismiss the lawsuit being pursued by musician Maria Schneider against YouTube over who has access to the Google service’s Content ID rights management system.
Susan Cotchin (Good Neighbour Rights): ‘Australia’s decision to limit the application of Art. 15 of WIPO’s WPPT has impacted Australian artists in a big way’
While Europe is still grasping with the impact of the RAAP case, another part of the world, Australia, needs a fix too. Since the country has limited the scope of payments of neighbouring rights to performers, Australian artists are unable to collect their royalties overseas due to the lack of reciprocity.
Neighbouring Rights: It’s Time to Bridge the ‘Broken’ UK-Australia Performer Gap
The last few years have been an incredibly gruelling time for the music industry, the effects of which will be felt for years to come.
Whilst performers have been increasingly diversifying and creatively seeking out alternative sources of income in an attempt to cover the stark drop-off in certain revenue streams (see the exponential rise of music-related NFTs, by way of example), there is one source that, at least between the U.K. and Australia, has been broken for some time now. And it continues to hit British and Australian featured and non-featured performers, producers and session musicians directly in their pocket: neighbouring rights.
Read More: https://themusicnetwork.com/neighbouring-rights-uk-australia/
Legal wrangling over Prince estate over as judge signs off on deal
judge in Minnesota finally signed off earlier this week on a settlement deal in relation to Prince’s estate.
The musician had not prepared a will before his untimely death in 2016, resulting in much legal wrangling between the six siblings – mainly half-siblings – who were named heirs. Along the way there were disagreements about the management of the estate – including who should do the managing – and the decision of three of his siblings to sell some or all of their respective shares in his assets to Primary Wave.
Beyoncé brings all the samples to the yard and they’re like…it’s been licenced
Beyoncé has received backlash on her latest album “Renaissance,” which has resulted in the removal of a sample from her song “Energy” – but not for legal reasons. Headlines such as “Beyoncé Has Removed A “Milkshake” Sample From Her Song “Energy” After Kelis Called It Theft” and “…for allegedly failing to seek permission for usage” suggest that Beyoncé used the sample without the rights clearance, but this is not the case. Kelis is not receiving royalties – and that is an issue – since she is solely a performer of the song, not the copyright owner. The problem for Kelis is with her producers, not Beyoncé.
Read More: https://ipkitten.blogspot.com/2022/08/beyonce-brings-all-samples-to-yard-and.html
Why Warner Bros. Killed ‘Batgirl’: Inside the Decision Not to Release the DC Movie
The death of “Batgirl” on Tuesday sent immediate shockwaves through Hollywood. The film — with a $75 million budget that grew to $90 million due to COVID-related overages — had finished shooting months ago and was in test screenings as directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (“Bad Boys for Life,” “Ms. Marvel”) worked through the post-production process. Star Leslie Grace (“In the Heights”) had given multiple interviews expressing her enthusiasm for landing the title role and working with co-stars Michael Keaton (as Batman), J.K. Simmons (as her character’s father, Commissioner Gordon) and Brendan Fraser (as the villain, Firefly).
Read More: https://variety.com/2022/film/news/batgirl-movie-why-not-releasing-warner-bros-1235332062/
The Music Week Interview: Merck Mercuriadis
Talk is cheap, as they say, but Merck Mercuriadis can walk the walk. So when, in April 2019, the eloquent Hipgnosis Songs founder and CEO informed Music Week of his plans to reinvent publishing and kickstart a £1 billion “song management revolution”, you could bet your bottom dollar he’d back up his grandiose words with action.
Read More: https://www.musicweek.com/interviews/read/the-music-week-interview-merck-mercuriadis/083981
