News

Can fictional characters be protected by copyright? This is a question that is both intriguing and difficult to answer, as the variety of tests adopted by courts in different jurisdictions … Continue reading "Copyright Gunfight at the O.K. Corral: A Fistful of Dollars vs Rango before the Court of Rome"

Much of the coverage of Amazon’s $8.45 billion deal to acquire MGM has focused on the company’s film attributes and the impact on theatrical distribution. Read More: https://deadline.com/2021/05/unscripted-boom-tv-reboot-frenzy-could-follow-amazons-mega-deal-for-mgm-1234764894/

The explosion in the value of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin has had an interesting side effect: Surging demand for NFTs, or non-fungible tokens. Investors everywhere are asking themselves whether owning the … Continue reading "Are NFTs Worth Investing In?"

SoundExchange has paid out more than $7 BILLION in royalties to date. They are the sole organization designated by the U.S. Congress to collect and distribute digital performance royalties for … Continue reading "What is SoundExchange and How Does it Benefit You?"

An alliance of groups representing artists and songwriters have welcomed a commitment by the US Copyright Royalty Board to publish and accept comments about a proposed settlement regarding the mechanical … Continue reading "Songwriter groups urge US Copyright Royalty Board to open submissions on proposed new mechanical royalty rate on discs and downloads"

The Senate will begin the debate on their budget Tuesday, May 25.  Join fellow SAG-AFTRA, IATSE and Teamsters members and other production workers for a sign holding rally to show … Continue reading "Films = Jobs Rally at the State House May 25"

A group of songwriter organizations from around the world wrote to the Copyright Royalty Board last week opposing a proposed private “settlement” between the major labels and the major publishers … Continue reading "Copyright Royalty Board Responds to Coalition of Songwriter Groups on Frozen Mechanicals"

As readers may know, Germany passed their implementation of Article 17 of the Digital Single Market (DSM) Copyright Directive on Thursday 20th May 2021. This new copyright legislation is controversial … Continue reading "De minimis uses and the German implementation of Art 17 DSM Directive"

Since the 2000s, the development of download platforms, then streaming services, has both contracted and expanded the music market. However, despite recently accelerating growth, the value thus created is not … Continue reading "International Federation of Musicians @fim_musicians Statement on Online Music, the Big Pool and User Centric"

On April 15th, Hollywood writer and director Kevin Smith announced that he was putting an unreleased film of his, “Killroy was Here” up for sale via NFT (i.e. ‘Non-Fungible Token’). … Continue reading "NFTs and copyright: An uncomfortable conjunction?"

To Your Honors: As a US-led coalition representing hundreds of thousands of songwriters and composers from across the United States and around the world, we are writing today to express … Continue reading "Coalition of Songwriter Groups Call on Copyright Royalty Board for Fairness and Transparency on Frozen Mechanicals"

At its meeting on the 21st of April 2021, the Nordic Musicians Union, NMU, discussed the issue of copyright buyouts. Technological development has been rapid in connection with digitalisation and … Continue reading "Press Release: Nordic Musicians Union Condemns Copyright Buyouts"

LONDON — Germany’s parliament approved controversial copyright laws that could make it harder for music rights holders to agree to future license deals with clip-focused sites like TikTok and Triller, … Continue reading "Germany Passes Controversial EU Copyright Reforms, Sparking Ire"

Björn Ulvaeus, co-founder of Swedish music group ABBA, discussed copyright buyouts for TV series and streaming services and how royalties allowed him to write “from 9 to 5” with Billboard … Continue reading "ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus Says Royalties Allowed Him to Write ‘From 9 to 5’"

The Ninth Circuit appeals court in the US has upheld a lower court ruling that declined to make a classic royalties lawsuit being pursed against Warner Music by singer Lenny … Continue reading "US appeals court declines to make Warner streaming royalties dispute a class action"

What exactly is lost in translation when TV shows and films are subbed or dubbed into a new language? It’s a hard question to answer, but for the team at … Continue reading "Deepfake dubs could help translate film and TV without losing an actor’s original performance"

Your Honors: As a US-led coalition representing hundreds of thousands of songwriters and composers from across the United States and around the world, we are writing today to express our … Continue reading "MCNA letter regarding fairness and transparency on frozen mechanicals"

The calculation of damages for copyright infringement is something that this Kat finds to be curious, sometimes sending her into a fuurrry, and other times she’s left wondering why the … Continue reading "Shady’s back: Quantifying damages for copyright infringement of Eminem’s album"

Well, it’s happened again. The Internet has spoken—all extra cash is going to be devoted to curing cancer, distributing COVID vaccinations, world peace, child health and…oh, no wait. It’s going … Continue reading "Performer Payments for NFTs"

Organizers of the Sundance Film Festival said Thursday that next year’s fest will run January 20-30, 2022 and be a mix of in-person and virtual. The news comes after this … Continue reading "Sundance Film Festival Sets Dates For Hybrid 2022 Edition"

Who can forget how Taylor Swift stood up for songwriters, producers and artists against Apple’s bizarre decision to impose a royalty-free three month trial period on the launch of Apple … Continue reading "What Would @TaylorSwift13 and Eddie @cue Do? One solution to the frozen mechanical problem"

On a recent mid-spring morning in Tennessee, Alex Kline is learning to live again in her Nashville home. A week earlier, Tenille Arts’ “Somebody Like That” — a pulsing, pop-friendly … Continue reading "How Virtual Songwriting Sessions Became the Nashville Norm"

As the pandemic started to impact early last year, the first and most obvious casualty in music was the concert business as touring and festivals were cancelled. The other area … Continue reading "Film and TV Music Royalties: What’s the Score?"

An actor is suing TikTok for using her voice in its text-to-speech function. It converts writing into speech, which can then be played over videos uploaded to the app, often … Continue reading "Actor sues TikTok for using her voice in viral tool"

In case you haven’t noticed, songwriter mechanical royalty rates are about to be set again at a faraway Congressional operation called the Copyright Royalty Board. You may say, hold on–I … Continue reading "@thetrichordist: Will the Copyright Royalty Board Leave Songwriters In the Deep Freeze?"

Netflix, which received more nominations (42) and wins (10) than any other studio or network at the 78th Golden Globe Awards in February, is “stopping any activities” with the Hollywood … Continue reading "Golden Globes: Netflix “Stopping Any Activities” with HFPA Unless and Until Further Reforms Are Made"

The 107-year-old UK collecting society – which in late January launched a licensing platform for small-scale livestreams, before walking back the pivot due to criticism from indie creators – just … Continue reading "PRS Issues a 10% Backdated Livestream Tariff — Not Everyone’s So Thrilled With the ‘Discount’"

Services like Spotify and Apple Music pulled the business back from the brink. But artists say they can’t make a living. And their complaints are getting louder. When the pandemic … Continue reading "Musicians Say Streaming Doesn’t Pay. Can the Industry Change?"

A new survey conducted The Actors Fund sheds more light on COVID-19’s impact on the entertainment industry. The organization surveyed 7,163 people who sought its assistance during the pandemic. The … Continue reading "Actors Fund Study Details Devastating Impact of COVID-19 on Entertainment Industry"

The European Composer and Songwriter Alliance (ECSA) has officially called for “both policy makers and all stakeholders in the music sector to promote a fairer and more transparent ecosystem for … Continue reading "Songwriters Demand a Streaming Music Overhaul — “There Is No One Single Magic Solution But Rather Several Key Changes Required”"

AI-powered social media experience Triller and next-generation music company SoundCloud announced a new integration that will uniquely showcase and support emerging independent artists with the launch of a dedicated SoundCloud-curated … Continue reading "SoundCloud, Triller Partner to Amplify Emerging Artists"

Nirvana have been sued by the granddaughter of a British man who created the circles of hell image that has been used on the band’s merchandise since the 1990s. She … Continue reading "Nirvana sued over circles of hell image"

The American Federation of Musicians (AFM) and SAG-AFTRA have distributed a record high of $70 million to non-featured performers via their Intellectual Property Rights Distribution Fund (IPRDF). Read More: https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2021/05/05/sag-aftra-distributes-70-million/?mc_cid=952928efcd&mc_eid=bc3b3ee17f

Red Hot Chili Peppers and Kid Creole and the Coconuts have become the latest artists to cash in on their catalogue of hits, selling the rights to songs including Californication … Continue reading "Red Hot Chili Peppers sell rights to catalogue of hits to Hipgnosis"

In the last year where full accounts are available, 2019, the UK’s de facto songwriter and publisher PRO, PRS For Music, said its annual costs amounted to 11.0% of the … Continue reading "Is a reckoning coming to the way collection societies spend songwriters’ money?"

TIDAL is now majority-owned by Jack Dorsey’s Square, after a deal was reportedly finalized between Dorsey and Shawn ‘Jay-Z’ Carter on Friday (April 30). The acquisition was for more money … Continue reading "Jay-Z reportedly finalizes TIDAL sale to Jack Dorsey for $302m (UPDATE)… as platform boasts of paying ‘4X more per stream’ than rivals"

As part of a recent discussion with Steve Stoute, Pharrell Williams compared record-label advances to “illegal” loans, specifying that “no one should own you.” The 48-year-old voiced his critical opinion … Continue reading "Pharrell Compares Label Advances to ‘Illegal Loans’ — ‘No One Should Own You’"

YouTube‘s advertising business is exploding. The platform’s latest revenue figures were revealed last week as part of the Q1 results of parent company Alphabet. They show that YouTube is now … Continue reading "YouTube is now generating $2bn a month from ads – and grew faster than Netflix in Q1"

With the Oscar’s behind us, and a new year of film, TV, and music to keep our eyes fixed upon, it begs the question of how long these traditional award … Continue reading "Why NFTs Could Help Strengthen Hollywood’s Film Industry And Intellectual Property Protection"

Who would have thought major music artists would be selling their music catalogs for big money. When I looked into this a little deeper it makes a lot of sense. … Continue reading "Publishers are flipping the music industry upside down"

The Philippines, through the Permanent Representative to Geneva Ambassador Evan Garcia deposited on April 28, 2021 its Instrument of Accession to the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances (BTAP). Ambassador Garcia … Continue reading "PH accedes to Beijing Treaty strengthening performers’ rights"

An Australian court has ordered mining magnate and politician Clive Palmer to pay $A1.5 million ($NZ1.6m) to the record label of heavy metal act Twisted Sister. Read More: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/441569/twisted-sister-awarded-a1-point-5m-from-clive-palmer-over-copyright-claim

The Constitution of the United States guarantees creators the right to control their own intellectual property. However, AM/FM radio seems to be the final content landscape where these constitutional rights … Continue reading "Congress: It’s Time To Side With Music Creators Over Big Radio"

On the surface, Disney and Sony Pictures Entertainment seem to be two studios heading in opposite directions when it comes to business strategy. Disney is investing huge sums of money … Continue reading "Disney-Sony Movie Rights Deal Points to Future of Film Licensing"

For years we have seen massive encroachments on our artistic freedoms in favor of globally operating digital corporations. This anti-artist prioritization is also reflected in the federal government’s current draft … Continue reading "1100 German Artists Say “The Horror Has No End” About Germany’s New Copyright Law"

The NFT sale of Jean-Michel Basquiat‘s Free Comb with Pagoda has been pulled from OpenSea after his estate clarified that it will still retain the drawing’s license and rights. Read … Continue reading "Basquiat NFT Pulled From Sale After Estate Confirms That Highest Bidder Will Not Own Copyright"

Actors’ Equity Association has concluded its first-ever convention, from April 25 to 27. Because it is not yet safe to convene in person, the delegates met remotely to recommend policy … Continue reading "Actors’ Equity Association Concludes First-Ever Convention"

In the latest blockbuster music-catalog deal, Downtown has sold its 145,000 owned and co-published copyrights to an affiliate of the Concord music company. Included in the deal are songs popularized … Continue reading "Downtown Sells All Copyrights to Concord in $300 Million-Plus Deal, Will Focus on Music Services"

Judge Aleta A. Trauger has denied the HFA’s motion to dismiss the copyright infringement lawsuit it’s facing from Eminem publisher Eight Mile Style – while also determining that the Blackstone … Continue reading "HFA Can’t Duck Out of the Eminem Publisher Lawsuit, Judge Rules"

An alliance of trade groups representing the copyright industries – including the music business – has called on the European Union to beef up an element of its proposed Digital … Continue reading "Copyright groups say European Union’s Digital Services Act should do more to stop piracy sites operating anonymously"

In a single announcement in February this year, Spotify effectively doubled the number of markets it is live in – leaping from 85 countries to 178 and calling it its … Continue reading "World Mapped: The Future of Music Royalties on a Global Scale"

High-profile artists including Paul McCartney, Led Zeppelin, The Who’s Roger Daltrey, and Coldplay’s Chris Martin have called on the UK government to implement far-reaching reforms in the music-streaming space. The … Continue reading "Paul McCartney, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Chris Martin, More Demand That Streaming Music Platforms Pay More"

Netflix revealed that it will spend over $17 billion on content this year, according to its first-quarter earnings report. “As we’ve noted previously, the production delays from Covid-19 in 2020 … Continue reading "Netflix Reveals $17 Billion in Content Spending in Fiscal 2021"

During a quarterly earnings interview, Fidelity’s Nidhi Gupta asked the company’s top executives about their recent strategy to test blocking users who are suspected of using other people’s passwords. Specifically, … Continue reading "Netflix Boss Assures He Won’t “Turn the Screws” on Password Sharing"

Jonathan Taplin wasn’t present at the creation, but in rock & roll terms, he came close enough. He witnessed Bob Dylan going electric at the Newport Folk Festival, saw Jimi … Continue reading "Jonathan Taplin Tour-Managed Rock Royalty. Now He’s Telling His Stories"

Apple Music caused furore on Friday (April 16) when it made some proud claims about its payouts to artists and songwriters – and, by association, some potentially damning claims about … Continue reading "Apple Music just made a lot of claims about what it pays artists. Let’s take a closer look."

The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC) has announced the completion of its first-ever monthly distribution of mechanical royalties. The organization’s distribution – its first connected with the new blanket license … Continue reading "The Mechanical Licensing Collective Completes First Royalty Distribution"

This submission focuses primarily on the inquiry’s third question, i.e. the economic impact and long-term implications of streaming on the music industry, in particular how the shift to streaming has … Continue reading "Written evidence submitted by the Music Managers Forum and Featured Artists Coalition"

Cast your mind back to the spring of 1974, if indeed you were around to remember those days. The UK is hosting the Eurovision Song Contest, and the word on … Continue reading "Abba: Why the UK gave the Swedish band ‘nul points’ at Eurovision"

It’s the song, not the album, that rules modern pop – but payment for writers is dysfunctional at best. We urgently need a new model Read More: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/apr/17/todays-pop-industry-cheats-songwriters-and-deters-the-risk-taking-that-made-abba

The writers of the original “Predator” movie and Disney’s 20th Century Fox Film Corp have filed dueling lawsuits in California federal courts over the writers’ move to reclaim Disney’s copyright … Continue reading "Disney, ‘Predator’ writers file suits over copyright termination"

After half a decade of streaming-driven growth the global music business hit a speed bump in the shape of the pandemic. Live music stopped in an instant, radio boomed then … Continue reading "Rebalancing the Song Economy"

Iron Maiden have hit back at a lawsuit filed by US-based e-commerce platform Viral Style that accuses one of the metal band’s companies of grabbing $200,000 from its PayPal account … Continue reading "Iron Maiden hit back at e-commerce firm accusing them of “misappropriating” $200,000"

Early Friday, Apple Music sent a carefully worded letter to artists, music labels and publishers that briefly explained “how creators earn royalties” from the streaming service, which is the world’s … Continue reading "Why It’s Misleading to Say ‘Apple Music Pays Twice as Much Per Stream as Spotify’"

As you may be aware, The MLC recently received $424 million as payment of the “inception to date” unmatched mechanical royalties held at a number of streaming platforms, sometimes called … Continue reading "What the MLC Can Learn from Orphan Works"

Ask any executive what the music business was like in the ’00s and their face may take on an expression more commonly associated with narrowly averted disasters like car accidents … Continue reading "15 Years of Spotify: How the Streaming Giant Has Changed and Reinvented the Music Industry"

The news that the Arclight Cinemas are closing permanently — part of the larger closure that includes Pacific Theaters in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic — hit the film … Continue reading "The Closure of Arclight Cinemas Has L.A. Movie Lovers in Mourning — and Asking, Can It Be Saved?"

Stars including Naomie Harris and Ruth Wilson have backed calls for digital body doubles not to be used in films and TV shows to make sex scenes even more explicit … Continue reading "Stars say TV shows and films must NOT use digital body doubles to make sex scenes more explicit"

“We should send a thank you note to the Bob Dylan folks,” says Charles “Jeff” Biederman, partner at law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, which has a thriving music practice. … Continue reading "The Ins-and-Outs of Music Catalog Sales and the Behind-the-Scenes Players Advising Songwriters Who Cash Out"

Data is commonly referred to in the music business as “the new oil”. It is a neat analogy to a point – explaining its huge value as well as the … Continue reading "Drowning in Data: A Wake-Up Call for the Music Industry"

A copyright lawsuit alleging Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water ripped off a Pulitzer Prize-winning author has been dismissed. The lawsuit – which was originally filed in February 2018 … Continue reading "Shape of Water copyright lawsuit dismissed: Guillermo del Toro is ‘the true creator’"

In a statement issued today on the U.S. Supreme Court’s April 5 decision in the Google v. Oracle case, in which the Court ruled 6–2 that Google’s copying of Oracle’s … Continue reading "Copyright Alliance CEO Issues Statement on Supreme Court Ruling in Google v. Oracle"

Minor mistakes and oversights frequently have a material impact on artists’ careers, particularly when it comes to royalties. But creators can quickly remedy the underlying issues – and bolster their … Continue reading "Why Are Musicians Still Leaving Royalties on the Table? It Usually Boils Down to These 3 Mistakes"

The 31-year-old pop star will again make headlines this week when she launches Fearless (Taylor’s Version), a newly recorded take of the mega-successful album that catapulted her to stardom. The … Continue reading "Taylor Swift Was ‘Stripped of Her Life’s Work.’ Her Response Was a Master Class in Emotional Intelligence"

In a closely watched case about computer code, Justice Stephen Breyer warns that copyright enforcement can sometimes lead to “harm to the public” by impeding creativity and stopping innovative applications. … Continue reading "Supreme Court Hands Google a Landmark Win — and Hollywood a Huge Concern"

Actors’ Equity released new guidelines Friday for productions that have fully vaccinated workforces. Among the new guidelines is the requirement for a COVID-19 safety officer, weekly COVID-19 testing for cast … Continue reading "Actors’ Equity releases new safety protocols for vaccinated productions"

About two weeks back, multiple musicians staged protests outside of Spotify offices in the U.S. and abroad, demanding a higher per-stream royalty rate. Now, the campaign’s organizers have revealed that … Continue reading "Spotify Refuses to Offer Penny-a-Stream Royalty Payments to Artists"

Three days after an anonymous songwriters group named the Pact called for artists to stop demanding credit for songs they did not write, the group has followed with a letter … Continue reading "Justin Tranter, Emily Warren, More Songwriters Sign Letter Calling for Artists to Stop Demanding Credit for Songs They Didn’t Write"

The Ivors Academy and the Musicians’ Union have officially warned composers about the perceived pitfalls associated with offering complete buyouts of their music. The 77-year-old Ivors Academy and the 128-year-old … Continue reading "Composers Warned Against Offering Complete Buyouts of Their Music"

Here it is: The MLC is about to hear those beautiful words. They will hear it in English. They will hear it in Spanish. They will hear it in Bantu, … Continue reading "The Metadata Hot Potato: The MLC Enters the Jerry McGuire Reality"

The Pact, a newly formed songwriting group, has called for artists to cease claiming credit on songs that they didn’t author. The songwriting group levied the demand in a pair … Continue reading "Songwriter Group Tells Artists to Stop Claiming Credit on Songs They Didn’t Write"

The major media companies are ready for a post-pandemic return to theatrical releases, familiar business models, a normal awards season, and most importantly, a hybrid streaming future that still does … Continue reading "Hollywood Gets Ready For Its Post-Pandemic Closeup"

UPDATED: As the music-publishing market continues to heat up to unprecedented levels, songwriter groups have begun speaking out for more equitable treatment. On the heels of a “Pay Songwriters” petition … Continue reading "Anonymous Songwriters Group Calls for Artists to Stop Demanding Royalties for Songs They Didn’t Write"

How much app privacy do you have with music streaming apps? Apple’s new privacy policy helps us find out. Apple’s new privacy policy forces app developers to disclose how much … Continue reading "How Much Personal Data Do Music Apps Collect? Here’s the Latest Privacy Report"

The jungle of music rights acquisitions has become a crowded and expensive place. But the game just changed again – as an 800-pound gorilla enters the fray. BMG and investment … Continue reading "A new catalog acquisition juggernaut is born, as BMG and KKR strike deal to jointly buy music copyrights"

A damning parliamentary inquiry into the state of U.K. broadcasters and their battle with American streaming giants has found that domestic channels are being “let down” by antiquated legislation preventing … Continue reading "U.K. Broadcasters Have Been ‘Let Down’ in Fight Against Streamers By Outdated Laws, Inquiry Finds"

Over the past few weeks, the sales of NFTs (non-fungible tokens) attached to digital artworks and other content, including music albums, unique sports moments clips, and even Twitter CEO’s first … Continue reading "Copyright & NFTs of Digital Artworks"

Cineworld has announced it will reopen US cinemas next month, followed by the UK in May, after signing a deal with Warner Bros to show films in theatres before they … Continue reading "Cineworld to reopen with cinema-first movie deal"

After all the various discussions as part of Parliament’s review into the digital music market over how a stream should be defined, government officials at the latest hearing yesterday stressed … Continue reading "Major label dominance and making available back in the spotlight at final Parliamentary session on streaming"

Dan Kelly loves to collect. His physical treasures live on a shelf in his Nova Scotia home: old records, vintage video games, an issue of WIRED from the ’90s. Whenever … Continue reading "Non-Fungible Frenzy: Why NFTs Are Suddenly Everywhere"

Hundreds of members of music industry have signed an open letter to record labels titled “Pay Songwriters,” calling for better financial treatment of songwriters. The letter has been signed by … Continue reading "Andrew Lloyd Webber and More Sign Open Letter to Record Labels Calling for Better Financial Treatment of Songwriters"

Music metadata: it’s the oft-overlooked chore that can make a music career successful – or doom it to obscurity. Today, music metadata impacts everything in an artist’s career, including distribution, … Continue reading "As Streaming Takes Over, Music Metadata Is Becoming More Critical for Musicians. How Critical, You Ask?"

As soon as they crossed into Serbia, the map on his phone went blank. Damon Krukowski was driving with his wife, Naomi Yang. They were two-thirds of the late-’80s indie … Continue reading "Islands in the Stream"

TV actors and recording artists are pushing for a major change in California labor law, which is likely to draw stiff opposition from studios and record labels. Read More: https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/sag-aftra-california-labor-law-lorena-gonzalez-1234934340/

A California lawmaker has introduced legislation (AB 1385) that would expand the state’s seven-year limit on entertainment-industry agreements to record label contracts. California Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez – who spearheaded the … Continue reading "California Introduces Legislation to Limit Record Label Contracts to 7 Years"

Working in entertainment may never look the same again. To hear numerous executives tell it, the past 12 months have shifted the paradigm for modern office life. Gone are the … Continue reading "Post-Pandemic Hollywood: Why Working in Entertainment Will Never Be the Same"

As more and more artists have learned in the nearly 15 years since Spotify first launched, the way that it pays out streaming royalties is very, very complex, based on … Continue reading "Spotify Unveils ‘Loud and Clear,’ a Detailed Guide to Its Royalty Payment System"

Multiple artists protested outside of Spotify offices yesterday afternoon to demand a more transparent payout process as well as a more sustainable per-stream royalty rate. The Union of Musicians and … Continue reading "Musicians Protest Outside Multiple Spotify Offices for Better Payments, Sustainable Income"

While it was announced during the Grammy Awards on Sunday, the formation of the Recording Academy’s Songwriters and Composers Wing was not done in secret, and the Songwriters of North … Continue reading "Industry Groups Call on Recording Academy to Eliminate ‘Archaic’ Music-Publishing Provision"

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are all the rage in the music industry right now. DJs like 3LAU and Steve Aoki have sold theirs for seven-figure sums. Kings Of Leon just racked … Continue reading "NFTs for copyrights: Why non-fungible tokens could transform who gets paid from music rights, and how"

In a reversal of traditional roles, the streaming giant is reported to have had talks with ViacomCBS and NBCU about running original shows and movies on their networks Read More: https://www.nexttv.com/news/netflix-has-reportedly-discussed-licensing-shows-to-media-companies

In the hardest year, Hollywood’s unions had their finest hour. Together and separately, they navigated those first uncertain days of the entertainment industry shutdown a year ago this week and … Continue reading "Hollywood’s Unions Had Their Finest Hour In The Year Of Pandemic"

The often controversial Spanish collecting society SGAE has been readmitted into global grouping CISAC nearly two years after it was temporarily expelled. The latter’s board decided to allow the former … Continue reading "CISAC readmits Spanish collecting society SGAE"

The producer of the old ‘Live From Abbey Road’ TV show has told a court that he could be £600,000 out of pocket as a result of a legal dispute … Continue reading "Live From Abbey Road producer says costs associated with Universal legal battle are disproportionate and unjust"

Paris – 10th March 2021 – The Spanish authors’ society SGAE has been re-admitted to CISAC after implementing a series of reforms that have transformed the society and its operations. … Continue reading "SGAE is re-admitted to CISAC following reforms to its operations"

Google has announced that it “may begin withholding U.S. taxes on earnings” deriving from stateside YouTube viewers as soon as June of 2021 for creators who reside outside the United … Continue reading "Google Announces Plans to Automatically Deduct Taxes From YouTube Creators’ U.S. Royalties"

CreativeFuture dispatched a letter earlier this week to every member of the new Congress. A broad coalition of more than 350 leaders of Hollywood’s creative community has sent a letter … Continue reading "Hollywood Coalition Asks Congress to Strengthen Copyright Laws"

The landmark legislation includes an extension of unemployment and mixed earner benefits, tax relief and health care subsidies, among other provisions. The House of Representatives passed a landmark $1.9 trillion … Continue reading "Congress Passes $1.9T Relief Bill: Here’s What’s in It for Music Workers"

How long? Not long, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Our God Is Marching On! March … Continue reading "User Centric As Competitive Advantage: The Arc of the Moral Universe is Bending — Music Technology Policy"

The following MBW op/ed comes from Adam Parness, the former Global Head of Music Publishing at Spotify from 2017 to 2019. Parness left Spotify just as it was revealed that … Continue reading "Why Spotify’s ex-Global Head of Music Publishing thinks streaming services should be paying songwriters more money"

Over the last 12 months the online concerts market has grown at an incredible rate. We’re seeing a huge variety of online events, from major live concerts reaching large audiences … Continue reading "Online Live Concerts – Call for views"

LOS ANGELES — What awaits Hollywood on the other side of the pandemic? As vaccines have rolled out around the world, many film executives and theater operators have been predicting … Continue reading "After Pandemic, Film Industry’s Hollywood Ending May Have to Wait"

Pursuant to the Musical Works Modernization Act, title I of the Orrin G. Hatch–Bob Goodlatte Music Modernization Act (MMA), and after soliciting public comments through a notification of inquiry and notice of proposed … Continue reading "Music Modernization Act Notices of License, Notices of Nonblanket Activity, Data Collection and Delivery Efforts, and Reports of Usage and Payment"

News that the company overseeing the estate of Theodor Geisel—better known to generations of children and parents as Dr. Seuss—will stop publishing new copies of six of the late author’s … Continue reading "OPINION | COLUMNIST: Copyright and Dr. Seuss"

Jack Dorsey-led financial services company Square, Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a majority ownership stake in music streaming platform, TIDAL. Square expects to pay a mix … Continue reading "SQUARE TO BUY JAY-Z’S TIDAL FOR $297M"

“We all just wanna be big rock stars / And live in hilltop houses, driving 15 cars.” The wisdom of Nickelback, there, in the 2005 single Rockstar. It’s a parody … Continue reading "To make it in music, be prepared for the pitfalls"

In a recent roundtable discussion, two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Paul McCartney said that artists’ streaming payments should increase, besides expressing the opinion that it’s harder for … Continue reading "Sir Paul McCartney Says Streaming Should Pay Artists More: ‘It’s Such a Small Percentage’"

One of the most hotly-debated concepts in the modern music rights business is user-centric licensing. This model sees streaming royalties paid out based on individual subscriber behavior – with a … Continue reading "SOUNDCLOUD IS ABOUT TO REVOLUTIONIZE STREAMING PAYOUTS, LAUNCHING USER-CENTRIC ROYALTIES FOR 100,000 INDIE ARTISTS"

Dangling $86.9 million in front of some big-ticket projects from Oscar winners and former Desperate Housewives, the California Film Commission was feeling particularly generous this morning. Read More: https://deadline.com/2021/03/eva-longoria-coen-brothers-steven-soderbergh-reese-witherspoon-jason-bateman-tax-credits-california-film-1234703726/

Last year we identified a small but crucial metric from Spotify’s annual report: the share of all streams accounted for by majors and independent licensing body Merlin. It was crucial … Continue reading "Smaller independents and artists direct grew fastest in 2020"

The British High Court has ordered internet service providers (ISPs) to block four stream-ripping websites – including Russia-based FLVTO.biz, which is also engaged in a years-running courtroom confrontation with the … Continue reading "British High Court Orders ISPs to Block Multiple Stream-Ripping Sites"

The 2021 Otis College of Art and Design Report on the Creative Economy, detailing the impact of COVID-19 on California’s creative sectors, reveals that motion picture and video production has … Continue reading "Film and Video Production Lost Nearly 92,000 Jobs During Pandemic, Study Says"

The Spanish matador Miguel Ángel Perera was delighted by the manner in which he fought and dispatched a four-year-old, 539kg bull by the name of Curioso in June 2014. But, … Continue reading "Spanish court rejects matador’s copyright claim over ‘work of art’"

Ahead of its planned stock market debut, Florida-based performing rights organization Pro Music Rights (PMR) has filed several additional documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Read More: https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2021/02/24/pro-music-rights-ipo-update/

The MBW Review is where we aim our microscope towards some of the music biz’s biggest recent goings-on. This time, we juggle some very interesting numbers revealed by Spotify at … Continue reading "OVER 60,000 TRACKS ARE NOW UPLOADED TO SPOTIFY EVERY DAY. THAT’S NEARLY ONE PER SECOND."

Senior executives from Spotify, Apple and Amazon were grilled live on camera by British politicians today in the final session of a UK Parliamentary inquiry into the economics of music … Continue reading "WHAT THE MAJOR RECORD COMPANIES REALLY THINK ABOUT THE ECONOMICS OF MUSIC STREAMING"

The U.S. Copyright Office has established a new group registration option for musical works, sound recordings, and associated literary, pictorial, and graphic works contained on an album. This option is … Continue reading "Group Registration of Works on an Album of Music"

As part of a long presentation called “Stream On,” Spotify announced that it will be introducing a hi-fi option later this year, among other benefits for fans and creators. CEO … Continue reading "Spotify to Launch HiFi Option Later This Year, Paid Out $5 Billion in Royalties in 2020"

As recently as fifteen years ago, the term “content” was heard only when people were discussing the cinema on a serious level, and it was contrasted with and measured against … Continue reading "Il Maestro By Martin Scorsese: Federico Fellini and the lost magic of cinema"

For many stuck inside during lockdown, streaming services have kept the movie-going experience alive – offering a safe alternative while cinemas remain shut. But film director Martin Scorsese isn’t such … Continue reading "Are streaming algorithms really damaging film?"

One thing you can say about Big Tech apologists Complete Music Update is they are consistent. Yes, the Pravda of music tech can always be counted on to come up … Continue reading "CMU, THE BLACK BOX, ENRON AND THE MMA"

New York-based Round Hill Music has launched a new neighboring rights division called Sound Hill. Round Hill has been collecting its own label share of neighboring rights since 2015 and … Continue reading "ROUND HILL LAUNCHES SOUND HILL NEIGHBORING RIGHTS DIVISION"

The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom has ruled that Uber drivers are legally workers, not self-employed contractors as Uber has argued in courts around the world. The ruling means … Continue reading "UK Supreme Court says Uber drivers are not independent contractors"

A broad entertainment industry coalition Friday begged Senate leadership to push ahead with Federal aid for pandemic insurance since it’s near impossible to get back to work without it, especially … Continue reading "Coalition Of Hollywood Producers, Guilds Asks Senate For Targeted Pandemic Insurance Relief, And Fast"

The wheels of justice may turn slowly, but in the case of radio’s legal fight with Global Music Rights, the pandemic has all but brought them to a stop. The … Continue reading "Radio Will Not Have Any Resolution To Its GMR Royalties Fight Until 2022."

One of the questions that immediately comes to mind with the announcement of the MLC’s $424 million black box payment is how did they get away with owing so much … Continue reading "Will the @CommonsDCMS Committee Ask How Apple and Spotify Got Away With Hundreds of Millions in Black Box for So Many Years?"

Paris – 18th February 2021 – An education campaign created in the United States to inform creators on the growing practice of copyright buyouts is being extended globally with a … Continue reading "Your Music Your Future partners with CISAC to educate creators globally on royalties and copyright buyouts"

The UK live music industry has joined together for the first time to formally launch its own industry body, LIVE. It follows a year of devastation due to Covid-19 and … Continue reading "Amid the Covid crisis and Brexit, a major new industry body emerges to represent the live sector"

Universal Music Group has announced the launch of Virgin Music Label & Artist Services, a “new global network delivering premium and flexible artist and label services to the industry’s most … Continue reading "Universal Music Launches Virgin Label and Artist Services Division"

The all new mechanical rights collecting society in the US yesterday announced that it had received a neat $424,384,787 relating to past streams on 20 digital platforms where songs were … Continue reading "New mechanical rights society in the US has $425 million in past royalties to distribute"

Nearly two years have passed since the adoption of the Directive on copyright in the Digital Single Market 2019/790 (DSM Directive). As it was probably bound to happen, the discussion … Continue reading "Five considerations for the transposition and application of Article 17 of the DSM Directive"

Martin Scorsese criticizes streaming platforms and the movie business in a new essay for Harper’s Magazine entitled Il Maestro. While the piece is an homage to director Federico Fellini, Scorsese … Continue reading "Martin Scorsese Discusses Cinema Being ‘Devalued’ as ‘Content’ in New Essay"

Although they were easy to miss in the end of year kerfuffle, serveral new copyright bill and proposals were not only announced, but in some cases have already gone into … Continue reading "Answers to questions about Copyright in 2021 [Electronic Frontier Foundation]"

High-ranking representatives of the European Commission’s DG Connect will brief EU lawmakers as part of an ‘in camera’ meeting on Friday (12 February), after a contingent of parliament members wrote … Continue reading "Commission and Parliament in ‘secret talks’ on EU copyright directive"

It’s tax season, and if you’re a working musician, don’t forget to write off all of your music-related expenses so you can lower your taxes and keep more of the … Continue reading "Tax write-offs for the working musician"

The Copyright Small Claims bill which passed through congress as part December’s mid-month spending bill is frequently referred to as a “copyright small claims court,” although it isn’t really a … Continue reading "Copyright small claims court is coming! But it isn’t exactly a court…"

The Department for Professional Employees, a coalition of Hollywood labor unions affiliated with AFL-CIO, announced on Thursday a new policy agenda to lobby for bills that will promote diverse hiring … Continue reading "Hollywood Unions Lobby for Tax Incentive to Promote Diverse Hiring in the Industry"

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos has announced that the U.S. streaming giant will open a new office in Canada and hire a content chief dedicated to commissioning local originals. In a … Continue reading "Netflix To Open Canadian Office After Spending $2B In The Country Since 2017"

LONDON – A YouTube executive refuted claims that the video platform compensates artists less than competitors like Spotify, while acknowledging a “problematic” lack of transparency in the share of industry … Continue reading "UK Parliament Member Presses YouTube Exec On Artist Payments: ‘You’re Not Being Transparent’"

Most of you know that the music streamers are all losing money. Spotify was born 15 years ago, has over 345 million users, and they still can’t make a profit. … Continue reading "Fact: Streaming Royalties Will Never Be Fair. But There Is a Solution!"

Less than one month ago, the Department of Justice (DOJ) refused to change the 80-year-old BMI and ASCAP consent decrees. The music industry is already petitioning the ruling, however, and … Continue reading "The Music Industry Is Already Petitioning the DOJ’s ASCAP/BMI Consent Decree Ruling — And Retailers, Radio, and Tech Aren’t Happy About It"

The Directive on Copyright in a Digital Single Market (CDSM Directive) is due to be implemented by the Member States of the European Union by 7 June 2021. The 27 … Continue reading "The Challenge to Article 17 CDSM, an opportunity to establish a future fundamental rights-compliant liability regime for online platforms"

The world’s biggest music publishing company is no longer called Sony/ATV. It’s now Sony Music Publishing. The re-brand of the US-headquartered pubco sees the Sony Music Publishing name return for … Continue reading "SONY MUSIC PUBLISHING RETURNS WITH A ‘MODERN VISION’ – VIA A RE-BRAND OF SONY/ATV"

Country singer-songwriter Dwight Yoakam is suing his label Warner Music Group (WMG) for not handing back the rights to his early recordings. Read More: https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/legal-and-management/9524712/dwight-yoakam-warner-music-group-lawsuit-reclaim-early-recordings/

Regular readers of Music Business Worldwide won’t need a refresher on who Merck Mercuriadis is – or his predilection for buying big music rights, for big sums, at Hipgnosis Songs … Continue reading "INVESTMENT FUNDS FORCING ARTISTS TO NAME THEIR PRICE IS… NOT A GREAT IDEA."

The following MBW op/ed comes from Didier Martin, the CEO of Outhere Music. Outhere is a Paris-headquartered music company that is home to classical record labels such as Alpha Classics, … Continue reading "MUSIC STREAMING MUST SWITCH TO A FAIR AND LOGICAL PAYOUT MODEL. THERE IS NO TIME TO LOSE."

The U.S. Copyright Office will be holding public roundtables as part of its study to evaluate best practices that the newly established mechanical licensing collective may implement to identify and … Continue reading "US Copyright Office: Unclaimed Royalties Study"

In a quiet, unsuspecting office in Valley Village, California, the year-round staff of 65 people at the AFM & SAG-AFTRA Fund diligently processes more than $60 million annually in artist … Continue reading "There’s a Little-Known Jackpot of $60 Million In ‘Non-Featured’ Musician Royalties Collected Every Year — Is Some of It Yours?"

A musicians’ group has obtained important High Court declarations in its long-running dispute with a record companies organisation over sums payable to performers from licence fees collected for the public … Continue reading "Musicians group get court declarations over pay for performers from public broadcasts"

When Donald Trump revealed his desire to ban TikTok in August of last year, his words sent the app’s creators and influencers into a frenzy, and many began to eye … Continue reading "Universal Music and Triller Are Duking It Out Over a Failed Deal"

A number of artists are scoring paychecks – and potentially career-changing exposure – from film, television, and video-game sync placements. But according to one veteran music supervisor, it’s also possible … Continue reading "Yes, Composers Can Make Money In Sports — Meet One of the Top Programmers In the Field"

The creators of This Is Spinal Tap have set up a licensing body to exclusively manage the cult film’s rights. Rob Reiner, Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest and Michael McKean, creators … Continue reading "‘THIS IS SPINAL TAP’ CREATORS SET UP LICENSING BODY TO EXCLUSIVELY MANAGE FILM’S RIGHTS"

The creators of ‘This Is Spinal Tap’ have announced that they will launch a new company on Friday to manage the licensing of the cult film and all rights related … Continue reading "Spinal Tap creators set up new licensing company following settlement of Vivendi dispute"

Rob Reiner, Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest and Michael McKean, creators of the iconic mockumentary “This Is Spinal Tap”, have set up a wholly owned entity to manage the licensing of … Continue reading "‘Spinal Tap’ Creators Set Up Licensing Body To Manage Exploitation Of Their Iconic Motion Picture"

We are currently reviewing and dissecting submissions made to the UK Parliament’s ongoing inquiry into the economics of streaming. Based on the five years of research CMU Insights has undertaken … Continue reading "Dissecting The Streaming Inquiry #09: Safe harbour"

Three women have been nominated for best director at the Golden Globe awards – the first time more than one has been shortlisted in a single year. Read More: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-55916772

We are currently reviewing and dissecting submissions made to the UK Parliament’s ongoing inquiry into the economics of streaming. Based on the five years of research CMU Insights has undertaken … Continue reading "Dissecting The Streaming Inquiry #08: Royalty Chains"

We are currently reviewing and dissecting submissions made to the UK Parliament’s ongoing inquiry into the economics of streaming. Based on the five years of research CMU Insights has undertaken … Continue reading "Dissecting The Streaming Inquiry #07: Music Rights Data"

The coronavirus pandemic devastated movie theaters, canceled premieres, shook up awards shows, and changed the $100 billion industry. Read More: https://www.insider.com/hollywood-is-dying-pandemic-2021-1?utm_medium=10today.media.wed.20210203.436.1&utm_source=email&utm_content=article&utm_campaign=10-for-today—4.0-styling

Big tech companies including Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Twitter are concerned about restrictive copyright legislation being implemented around the world. Industry groups warn that these changes, including Article 17 of … Continue reading "Tech Giants Warn US of Hostile Copyright Environment in EU and Russia"

We are currently reviewing and dissecting submissions made to the UK Parliament’s ongoing inquiry into the economics of streaming. Based on the five years of research CMU Insights has undertaken … Continue reading "Dissecting The Streaming Inquiry #06: Transparency"

The world of apps holds huge potential for music sync opportunities, with new releases being brought to market on a daily basis. Plenty of apps increase engagement by adding music … Continue reading "NEGOTIATING DEALS IN THE APP SYNC MARKET"

Back in August of 2019, Eminem publisher Eight Mile Style levied a massive copyright infringement lawsuit against Spotify. Now, Digital Music News has obtained an exclusive copy of a new … Continue reading "Preliminary Schedule Set in Eminem Publisher’s Unpaid-Royalties Lawsuit Against Spotify"

Kobalt and Sony Music unveiled their “definitive agreement,” which encompasses Kobalt Neighboring Rights in addition to AWAL, this morning. As part of the multimillion-dollar purchase, the former Kobalt holdings “will … Continue reading "Sony Music Acquires AWAL From Kobalt In $430 Million Deal"

Last Wednesday, January 27th, PRS for Music officially launched a licensing platform for small-scale livestreams in the UK. A number of organizations and artists promptly criticized this platform (including because … Continue reading "PRS Changes Its Livestreaming Licensing Rules After Massive Indie Backlash"

Our sister site Artist Rights Watch fielded a Mechanical Licensing Collective Awareness Questionnaire during January targeting songwriters attending our MLC webinar. (MLC Awareness Questionnaire 1/31/21 n=120.) The purpose of the … Continue reading "Results and Recommendations of the Artist Rights Watch MLC Awareness Survey"

Anyone that has worked in royalties at a record label knows royalty accounting isn’t simple. There’s a myriad of activities and entities involved in the process and often things just … Continue reading "5 Reasons Why You Should Undertake a Royalty Audit"

We are currently reviewing and dissecting submissions made to the UK Parliament’s ongoing inquiry into the economics of streaming. Based on the five years of research CMU Insights has undertaken … Continue reading "Dissecting The Streaming Inquiry #05: User-centric royalty distribution"

British songwriters Brian Clover and Scott McCulloch have asked the good old Ninth Circuit – everyone’s favourite circuit, surely – to revive their song-theft lawsuit against that notable – although … Continue reading "British songwriters who accuse The Weeknd of song-theft take dispute to the Ninth Circuit appeals court"

An illustrated book titled “Oh, the Places You’ll Boldly Go!” did not make transformative use of Dr. Seuss’s copyrighted pictures and stories, although Lanham Act claims were properly dismissed under … Continue reading "Copyright case: Dr. Seuss Enterprises LP v. ComicMix LLC, USA"

MBW’s World’s Greatest Managers series profiles the best artist managers in the global business. This time, we speak to John Branca, who as well as managing the legacy of Michael … Continue reading "‘Artists need to pay attention to their legacy and be very specific about it.’"

In a joint statement, SAG-AFTRA, the Producers Guild of America and the Joint Policy Committee announced that film, TV and commercial shoots in Los Angeles will be able to resume … Continue reading "SAG-AFTRA, Producers Guild Give Los Angeles All Clear to Resume Film Shoots"

One of the things that’s been clear in the debate about user-centric models for paying out streaming royalties is that we need more studies based on recent data from big … Continue reading "French study offers new data on impact of user-centric payouts"

Yesterday, PRS for Music unveiled an online portal through which livestream licenses can be purchased for small-scale remote gigs in the UK. Now, many organizations, artists, and venues are speaking … Continue reading "PRS’ Livestream License Faces Serious Backlash — “The Worst Possible Decision at the Worst Possible Time”"

The UK’s Music Managers Forum and Featured Artists Coalition have again criticised collecting society PRS for announcing a licensing rate for livestreamed shows without widely consulting the artist and songwriter … Continue reading "Artists, managers and venues hit out at new PRS royalty rate for small-scale livestreamed shows"

Today, the French Government presents the second report on content recognition tools on digital sharing platforms commissioned by the Conseil Supérieur de la Propriété Littéraire et Artistique (High Council for … Continue reading "Article 17: (Mis)understanding the intent of the legislator"

Remember when Spotify was granted a patent for personality tracking technology, and how unsettling it was? Published in October 2020, the filing explained that behavioural variables, such as a user’s … Continue reading "Spotify’s latest invention monitors your speech, determines your emotional state… and suggests music based on it"

PRS for Music announced its one-stop licensing portal today, via a formal release that was emailed to Digital Music News. The 107-year-old UK collecting society created the platform due to … Continue reading "Now There’s a Licensing Platform for Small-Scale Livestreams In the UK"

We are currently reviewing and dissecting submissions made to the UK Parliament’s ongoing inquiry into the economics of streaming. Based on the five years of research CMU Insights has undertaken … Continue reading "Dissecting The Streaming Inquiry #03: The recording / song split"

We are currently reviewing and dissecting submissions made to the UK Parliament’s ongoing inquiry into the economics of streaming. Based on the five years of research CMU Insights has undertaken … Continue reading "Dissecting The Streaming Inquiry #03: The recording / song split"

YouTube monetization is a vital source of money for many musicians — and it’s just ONE of several important forms of music revenue from YouTube. Read More: https://diymusician.cdbaby.com/music-rights/youtube-monetization-musicians/?utm_source=en&utm_medium=email&utm_content=btn&utm_campaign=diy_en_all_020421

More than a dozen projects from studios like Warner Bros., Disney, Universal and CBS are resuming shooting or planning to do so in February. Read More: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/as-los-angeles-lifts-stay-at-home-order-studios-keep-up-production

Music streaming isn’t just a big part of the record business: It basically is the record business. According to RIAA data, streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and … Continue reading "The Three Biggest Myths Deluding the Modern Music Business"

YouTube has paid creators, artists, and media organizations more than $30 billion in the last three years, CEO Susan Wojcicki announced in a Tuesday newsletter. In the letter, Wojcicki highlighted … Continue reading "YouTube CEO says service has paid $30 billion to creators, artists, and media companies"

Seoul (CNN) – For the first time in 25 years, the distinctive vocals of South Korean superstar Kim Kwang-seok will be heard on national television singing new material. It’s a … Continue reading "South Korea has used AI to bring a dead superstar’s voice back to the stage, but ethical concerns abound"

European Film Promotion (EFP) and the Sundance Film Festival have announced their first-ever collaboration, which will see European films and talent in the spotlight at the 2021 festival, set for … Continue reading "European Film Spotlight at Sundance Festival"

Neil Young, Lindsey Buckingham, Shakira, and others recently sold their song catalogs to the flashy music publishing upstart Hipgnosis, in deals that have implications for the future of the recording … Continue reading "What to Know About Music’s Copyright Gold Rush"

Shakespeare’s aphorism that all that glisters is not gold might well be borne in mind by fans and followers of celebrities. In two judgments issued on 21 January 2021 (as … Continue reading "Germany’s Federal Court of Justice gives weight to celebrity consent to media image use"

Spotify users who have paid for the ad-free Premium subscription will still have to listen to adverts if they use the platform for podcasts. Users of the music streaming service … Continue reading "Spotify will force ad-free Premium users to listen to adverts"

It is less than five months until the implementation deadline for the 2019 Copyright in the digital single market directive (DSM Directive). So far, the pace of implementation has been … Continue reading "Divergence instead of guidance: the Article 17 implementation discussion in 2020"

The UK bosses of the three major record companies faced some tough questions and frank criticism when questioned by MPs over the economics of streaming yesterday. Some members of Parliament’s … Continue reading "Major labels face tough questions and frank criticism at latest Parliamentary session on the economics of streaming"

Bob Dylan has been sued by the estate of a former collaborator which argues that it is due a cut of the reported $300 million he received when he sold … Continue reading "Estate for Bob Dylan collaborator sues for cut of $300 million Universal catalogue grab"

NEW YORK (AP) — After leaving the White House, President Donald Trump may lose his SAG card, too. The Screen Actors Guild said Tuesday that the SAG-AFTRA board voted “overwhelmingly” … Continue reading "Ahead of Joe Biden’s inauguration, Donald Trump faces expulsion from Screen Actors Guild"

Gary Numan disclosed his decidedly small royalty payment – and relayed his stance on today’s streaming-driven music landscape – in a recent Sky News interview. The Hammersmith, London-born musician’s comments … Continue reading "“Cars” Singer Gary Numan: ‘I Got £37 From a Million Streams’"

A new release from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) has shed light upon how much major label artists earn from a “typical” $9.99-per-month Spotify subscription. The BPI disclosed this telling … Continue reading "How Much Do Major Label Artists Earn From a $9.99 Spotify Subscription?"

The outgoing administration had been eyeing the deregulation of licensing, which could have spurred price hikes and lack of access to libraries. Read More: https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/9513665/trump-justice-department-music-licensing/

The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee is examining the impact of music streaming in the Economics of Music Streaming Inquiry. An overview of the inquiry was provided here, and … Continue reading "Sony, Warner & Universal (mostly don’t) answer questions at the UK Music Streaming Inquiry"

On Tuesday (Jan. 19), AEG Presents announced that the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival will push its 2021 dates from spring to fall. Jazz Fest 2021 is now scheduled … Continue reading "New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Postponed to Fall: See New Dates"

Record label trade group BPI says that the booming streaming market has created opportunities for more artists, and a more diverse mix of artists, both at home and internationally. Those … Continue reading "BPI cautions against radically changing a streaming model that is “working well for so many”"

Beware of op-eds that seem encouraging but actually serve to misinform, blame and divide the music industry. Deep within a recent piece about how streaming is sustaining the music business, … Continue reading "How Should the Music Streaming Revenue Pie Be Split?"

Here it is. Amongst all the industry-wide debate over equitable streaming payouts, this has cracked it. Finally, a truly revolutionary idea that ensures an actual fair share of the billions … Continue reading "The harsh reality about the music business, and a pantomime led by clueless self-regarders."

A coalition of 40 anti-monopoly groups are urging the incoming Biden administration against appointing former Big Tech employees to key antitrust roles in the government. Read More: https://thehill.com/policy/technology/534849-progressive-groups-warn-against-appointing-tech-insiders-to-key-antitrust?rl=1

Television and film production no longer qualifies for UK travel exemption, according to the country’s government website. Those who travel to the UK for production must now self-isolate for a … Continue reading "TV and Film Production No Longer Qualify for UK Travel Exemption"

The US Justice Department has decided to leave the ‘consent decrees’ governing public performances of music unchanged, sparking an unimpressed response from publishers and collecting societies there. This is the … Continue reading "Publishers and PROs ‘disappointed’ as US consent decrees are unchanged"

The performing arts workforce is currently inhibited from pursuing its work; therefore Pandemic Unemployment Assistance needs to be sustained until the industry has adequately bounced back. Higher priority needs to … Continue reading "What Will the Biden Administration Do to Protect the Performing Arts?"

The Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (IPEC) has just handed down judgment in the retrial of a dispute concerning the authorship of the screenplay of the film Florence Foster Jenkins, starring … Continue reading "Unsung Florence Foster Jenkins screenwriter is entitled to joint authorship share"

For the first time in half a decade, a year has gone by without a new Star Wars film, a planned pause that happened to coincide with the pandemic. But … Continue reading "The force is strong with these Star Wars fan films"

Shakira has become the latest artist to sell the rights to her music for a multi-million dollar sum. All 145 of her songs, including Hips Don’t Lie, Whenever, Wherever and … Continue reading "Shakira is the latest star to sell the rights to her songs"

Jimi Hendrix’s brother Leon is again facing sanctions for trademark infringement. A court in New York yesterday ruled that he was in contempt for continuing to use the Jimi Hendrix … Continue reading "Leon Hendrix in contempt of court for again exploiting Experience Hendrix trademarks"

Nicki Minaj has resolved her ongoing copyright legal battle with Tracy Chapman for a neat $450,000. Which is a rather expensive “sorry”. And a rather expensive ‘Sorry’ too. Read More: … Continue reading "Nicki Minaj resolves Tracy Chapman copyright case with $450,000 payment"

When in 2015 award-winning author Michael Farris Smith complete his latest work – a “prequel” based on a key character in The Great Gatsby – his publisher presented him with … Continue reading "As George Orwell and The Great Gatsby come out of copyright what next for some of literature’s greatest works?"

The Directors Guild of America told its members Tuesday that the industry’s Covid-19 protocols “have been largely effective in catching infected individuals before they are contagious, and limiting the potential … Continue reading "DGA Says Industry’s Covid-19 Protocols “Have Been Largely Effective”, Though Holiday Production Hiatus May Continue As Pandemic Peaks In L.A."

The COVID-19 numbers in Los Angeles County are dire, and hospital beds remain at worryingly low capacity, pushing Hollywood to delay when most L.A.-based television shows go back into production. … Continue reading "‘Too Much Money at Stake’: Lengthy L.A. Production Shutdown Seen as Unlikely"

Photographers and other creative individuals in the United States now have a more accessible means of pursuing copyright claims against those using images and works without permission. In a recent … Continue reading "Small claims process finally passed into law for US copyright infringement victims"

Shape of Water, the winner of Best Picture, Best Director, and other Oscars, captivating audiences around the world, has come under fire for plagiarism. The 2017 film has been accused … Continue reading "The Oscar-Winning Film Shape of Water Must Defend Copyright Infringement Claims From Playwright"

If you’ve gotten accustomed to regular mechanical royalty checks every month or quarter paid directly to you (or your publisher) by streaming services or for downloads like iTunes, fasten your … Continue reading "Happy New License Availability Date!"

SAG-AFTRA and the Producers Guild are joining advertisers in recommending that on-set commercial production be temporarily shuttered in Southern California because of surging coronavirus outbreaks in the region, effective immediately. … Continue reading "SAG-AFTRA, Producers Guild & Advertisers Urge Temporary Shutdown Of Commercial Shoots In SoCal Amid Rising Covid-19 Cases"

MINNEAPOLIS — The ongoing controversy over the money left behind by Prince when he died without a will is heating up again after Internal Revenue Service calculations showed that executors … Continue reading "IRS says Prince’s estate was undervalued by $80 million"

The Critics are creating epic sci-fi movies using their mobile phones. From left to right, Ronald Yusuff, Racheal Yusuff, Godwin Josiah, Lawson Titus, Racheal Ken, Rejoice Josiah, Richard Yusuff, Raymond … Continue reading "These Nigerian kids are creating epic sci-fi short films using their phones, and Hollywood is paying attention"

The government says it tried to secure better conditions for UK touring musicians during the Brexit negotiations, but its proposals were rejected by the EU. The comments come in response … Continue reading "Brexit: UK government music touring proposals were ‘rejected by the EU’"

We are writing to let you know that we are closely monitoring the recent surge in COVID-19 infections along with the reported lack of intensive care unit (ICU) beds throughout … Continue reading "An Important Message About the Recent Surge of COVID-19"

Spinal Tap’s stars have set up a new company to manage the licensing of the film and all rights related to it. The move comes after Rob Reiner, Harry Shearer, … Continue reading "Spinal Tap stars set up licensing company"

The creators of This Is Spinal Tap have set up a licensing body to exclusively manage the cult film’s rights. Rob Reiner, Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest and Michael McKean, creators … Continue reading "‘This Is Spinal Tap’ creators set up licensing body to exclusively manage film’s rights"

Zimbabwean music mogul Munya Chanetsa felt his hackles rise when he learnt about the royalties battles that have been fought over the song Mbube – also known as The Lion … Continue reading "Seeking justice for Lion Sleeps Tonight composer"

Please take a moment and complete the ArtistRightsWatch new anonymous 10 question survey regarding The MLC at this link. We’re gathering general anonymized information about how songwriters and publishers have … Continue reading "Please take our Mechanical Licensing Collective Survey"

On Monday, the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture held a public hearing on the implementation of Article 17 of the Copyright Directive. As part of this meeting, the Ministry … Continue reading "Finnish Article 17 implementation proposal prohibits the use of automated upload filters"

After months of lobbying, news of Congress passing a $900 billion stimulus bill was met with great relief from Hollywood’s guilds and trade organizations, who expressed hope that the aid … Continue reading "Hollywood Praises Stimulus Bill as ‘Bright Light at the End of a Very Dark Tunnel’"

As the coronavirus pandemic began to destroy lives and livelihoods this spring, the music industry quickly realized the dire straits they were facing. Venues were some of the first businesses … Continue reading "‘We Saved the Music’: Amy Klobuchar on Getting $15 Billion for Venues Into Stimulus Bill"

In addition to a felony streaming law, Congress’s newly passed $2.3 trillion stimulus and spending package includes the CASE Act, which would establish a “copyright small claims” court. Read More: … Continue reading "What Is the CASE Act, Exactly? A Look at America’s Latest Copyright Law"

On Monday evening, Congress voted to approve a $900 billion relief package designed to aid small businesses, unemployed Americans, health care workers, and many others impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. … Continue reading "Congress Approves New COVID Relief Package: What it Means for Music Creators"

US collecting societies ASCAP and BMI have launched a new song rights data service called Songview, part of a long-running initiative to provide better and easy-to-utilise data regarding what songs … Continue reading "ASCAP and BMI launch new song rights data service"

The music industry has welcomed US Congress’s passing of a new spending bill. The 5593 page bill includes new COVID support for American citizens and businesses, specific financial support for … Continue reading "Music industry welcomes COVID support and copyright reforms contained in mega-bill passed by US Congress"

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, released the first discussion draft of legislation to reform the Digital Millennium … Continue reading "Tillis Releases Landmark Discussion Draft to Reform the Digital Millennium Copyright Act"

NEW YORK – (December 21, 2020) – ASCAP and BMI, the nation’s two leading performing rights organizations, today announced the launch of SONGVIEW, a comprehensive data platform that provides music … Continue reading "ASCAP and BMI Launch SONGVIEW, a Comprehensive Data Resource for Music Users"

UPDATE, 8:45 PM PT: The Senate passed a $2.3 trillion coronavirus relief package and government spending bill, with a host of provisions sought by different sectors of the entertainment industry … Continue reading "House And Senate Pass Massive Covid-19 And Government Spending Package: What’s In It For Showbiz"

On Monday, congressional leaders unveiled their massive spending and coronavirus relief measure, including a handful of controversial copyright measures civil liberties activists fear could penalize internet users for everyday online … Continue reading "Sweeping new copyright measures poised to pass in spending bill"

Spotify yesterday launched a new Songwriters Hub that brings together playlists, podcasts and other gubbins that is songwriter-centric. I wonder if they’ll include that edition of Setlist where we explained … Continue reading "Spotify launches a Songwriters Hub"

NASHVILLE, TN – The Music Modernization Act of 2018 (MMA) established a new blanket mechanical license covering the use of musical works in the U.S. by eligible digital audio services. … Continue reading "A New Era: A New License for U.S. Digital Audio Mechanicals Digital audio services are already preparing to secure new license administered by The MLC"

To illustrate the importance and potential of AI-based A&R, Musiio co-founder and CEO Hazel Savage refers to the origin story of one of the biggest breakthrough UK artists in recent … Continue reading "Artificial intelligence A&R tools keep finding new hit artists. This one actually ‘listens’ to music."

Actors’ union Equity has slammed London’s Tier 3 lockdown as dealing another hammer blow to already-struggling theatre workers. The union’s new general secretary, Paul W Fleming, said that performers in … Continue reading "Actors’ union Equity slams London’s new Tier 3 lockdown as dealing another hammer blow to struggling theatre workers who will face a ‘winter in the cold due to a government in chaos’"

As the industry blowback against Warner Bros. continues over its controversial hybrid release strategy, in which all films set for 2021 will debut in theaters at the same time they … Continue reading "WarnerMedia Didn’t Tell Directors Their Films Would Stream on HBO Max Over Fear of News Leak"

Both the European Commission and the UK government yesterday unveiled proposals for new laws that will regulate online platforms. Although copyright protection is not core to these proposals, the music … Continue reading "Music industry says proposed new regulations of online platforms are a good start but need work"

A court in Germany has ruled that YouTube is not obliged to hand over to copyright owners the email addresses, IP addresses or phone numbers of users who have uploaded … Continue reading "German court says YouTube doesn’t have to share email and IP addresses of copyright-infringing users"

Today, the U.S. Copyright Office launched a new Copyright Public Records System (CPRS) pilot to the public. The new portal will provide access to the same copyright records for both … Continue reading "Copyright Office Launches Copyright Public Records System Pilot"

The following MBW blog comes from Jon Ollier, the long-term live agent for artists such as Ed Sheeran, Lauv and Anne-Marie. Ollier’s achievements in the live business include booking Sheeran’s … Continue reading "‘If the virus is not brought under control in the US within a reasonable timeframe it could be catastrophic for the live music sector.’"

IT IS about time that the rights of the writers are recognised, says veteran Hindi film writer Anjum Rajabali, as he takes the necessary steps to form the first-ever copyright … Continue reading "In the works, a copyright society to help movie writers get royalties"

Songwriters have made a list and checked it twice, and this year some tech companies have been good, while some deserve lumps of coal. The following is Santa’s report card … Continue reading "Santa’s guide to tech companies: Who’s been naughty and who’s been nice to songwriters this year"

Troy Carter has seen the music industry from all sides. He was the manager of superstar artists like Lady Gaga and Eve at Los Angeles-based Atom Factory, working closely with … Continue reading "Troy Carter: ‘The music industry has to change the business model; it’s as simple as that.’"

Led Zeppelin founder and guitarist Jimmy Page has called on streaming services to “make fair payments to all musicians.” The 76-year-old Heston native voiced his opinion on streaming royalties in … Continue reading "Jimmy Page Demands That Streaming Music Services Pay Artists Fairly"

A group of leading international academics has published an open letter concerning the right of revocation. This new right, regulating copyright contracts, is provided for in article 22 of the … Continue reading "OPEN LETTER: Revocation – How authors and performers can reclaim their copyrights"

You may have received an email from something called “Sessions” like this one above received by our friend Blake Morgan, and Blake wanted us to alert MTP readers. Here’s Blake’s … Continue reading "“MILLION A MONTH” TIM IS BACK WITH NEW IMPROVED PROFITEERING–BUT #IRESPECTMUSIC @THEBLAKEMORGAN FIGHTS BACK–AGAIN"

Reps for the tech sector and civil right groups in the US have criticised proposals that two copyright measures be included in the urgent government spending bill that is currently … Continue reading "US tech sector and civil rights groups criticise proposals to include copyright reforms in urgent spending bill"

Artists have spoken out about the inequity of the music streaming business model. Artists including Ed O’Brien (Radiohead), Guy Garvey (Elbow), Tom Gray (Gomez), Nadine Shah, Fiona Bevan, Soweto Kinch … Continue reading "Artists speak out at the UK Economics of Music Streaming Inquiry"

Imogen Heap’s Creative Passport venture had a beta launch yesterday, with music-makers across the world now encouraged to sign-up for a free account. The new service allows artists to store … Continue reading "Imogen Heap’s Creative Passport goes live in beta mode"

“Boycott me!” is not a typical refrain for an artist, or indeed anyone. Yet, that is the request that Comedian Dave Chappelle made to his fans. In a stand-up performance … Continue reading "Chappelle’s Show on Netflix – the unforgiving tension between an artist and the creations he does not own"

I’m nervous, anxious and mildly terrified. Oscillating between mad optimism and utter hopelessness. This is the biggest project I’ve ever tried to pull off. It’s make or break time, and … Continue reading "The music industry is broken – but we can make it fairer for all musicians"

The MLC – or Mechanical Licensing Collective – is a new U.S.-based organization tasked with administering mechanical licenses for digital audio. So what does this mean for songwriters and their … Continue reading "What New Mechanical Licensing Collective Means For Indie Songwriters"

Songwriter group the Ivors Academy yesterday called for the major music companies to be regulated and a new minimum viable data standard to be introduced for recordings as Parliament’s Digital, … Continue reading "Ivors Academy calls for regulation of major music firms and new data standards as Parliament again considers the economics of streaming"

“Adoption of digital marketing strategy and increasing number of OTT platforms will continue to facilitate numerous growth opportunities for copyright licensing market players,” says the Fact.MR analyst. Read More: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/4904079

Neil Young has dismissed his lawsuit against Donald Trump, meaning that an interesting test case in relation to the outgoing US President’s use of music at his political rallies without … Continue reading "Neil Young dismisses copyright lawsuit against Donald Trump"

Musicians and songwriters call for fairer distribution of streaming revenues ahead of Nile Rodgers MPs hearing Read More: https://inews.co.uk/culture/music/musicians-earn-less-200-year-streaming-783565

Bob Dylan has struck a historical deal with Universal Music to sell his entire songwriting catalogue. According to the New York Times, the music icon has sold his back catalogue … Continue reading "Bob Dylan has sold his entire songwriting catalogue to Universal Music"

The group of dissident actors behind the class action ageism lawsuit filed against the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan over its pending benefit cuts have answered the union’s five-point defense of the … Continue reading "SAG-AFTRA Dissidents Take Issue With Union’s Support Of Health Plan Cuts"

You may have received an email from something called “Sessions” like this one above received by our friend Blake Morgan, and Blake wanted us to alert MTP readers. Here’s Blake’s … Continue reading "“Million a Month” Tim is Back with New Improved Profiteering–But #irespectmusic @theblakemorgan Fights Back–Again"

The Writers Guild of America has urged a federal judge not to intervene in the writers’ 20-month boycott of CAA and WME, saying the court lacks authority to do so. … Continue reading "WGA Urges Judge Not to Intervene in Agency Boycott"

The new(ish) Spain-based collecting society Unison has been admitted into CISAC, the global organisation for song right collective management organisations. Participation in CISAC gives Unison access to international standard tools … Continue reading "Unison granted CISAC membership"

Musicians are revolting. They’re rising up around the world to draw attention to the microscopic earnings they make from streaming. Songwriters, artists, players and producers of every kind have started … Continue reading "Music streaming makes major labels rich, while musicians like me go broke"

In August, the communications minister announced a series of changes to copyright laws to “better support the needs of Australians and public institutions to access material in an increasingly digital … Continue reading "Researchers, librarians, filmmakers and teachers are waiting for the copyright reforms the government has promised"

Yesterday, Authors Alliance responded to questions from Senator Thom Tillis about reforming copyright law to better encourage the creation of copyrightable works and to protect those who make lawful uses … Continue reading "Authors Alliance Weighs in On DMCA Reform"

The radio performance royalty fight has become a perennial battle in Washington and when the political scene resets next month it is all but certain the issue will remain alive. … Continue reading "As Another Royalty Fight Looms, Music Industry Seeks A Rep In Biden Administration."

British lawmakers have stated that artists are hesitant to participate in the ongoing investigation into streaming royalties “because they fear action may be taken against them” if they do so. … Continue reading "Artists Fear Retribution If They Speak Out Against Streaming Royalties, Lawmakers Say"

Producers have agreed to notify the entertainment industry’s unions when a member of casts and crews test positive for COVID-19 in a revision of the industry’s two-month-old safety protocols. Read … Continue reading "Producers Agree to Notify Unions of Positive COVID-19 Results on Sets"

The streaming platform is proposing an interface any artist or composer can input their music in to detect similarities to other songs and potentially avoid lawsuits. Read More: https://www.thefader.com/2020/12/02/report-spotify-develops-plagiarism-risk-detector-to-scan-songs-for-copyright-infringement

ASCAP joins the music community in welcoming the Biden Administration in a joint letter calling for the incoming leadership to include individuals who understand and support the needs of music … Continue reading "ASCAP Calls on Biden Administration to Include Leaders Who Understand and Support Music Creators"

The pan-European organisation for the independent music community, IMPALA, has published a number of recommendations aimed at the European Union and governments of each EU member state to ensure that … Continue reading "IMPALA publishes new recommendations for post-COVID music industry recovery across Europe"

European Union lawmakers are considering whether current rules aimed at limiting the practice of geoblocking across the bloc should be extended to cover access to streaming audio-visual content. Read More: … Continue reading "EU lawmakers to push audio-visual sector on geoblocking"

Citing the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, trustees of the Directors Guild of America – Producer Pension and Health Plans have created a premium-free limited benefit health plan for … Continue reading "Directors Guild Approves Premium-Free Limited Benefit Health Plan"

The legislative agenda of the past two decades – both in Europe and further afield – has been about adapting copyright to the requirements of the information society. The administrative … Continue reading "Why Metadata Matter for the Future of Copyright"

TikTok and ICE, which encompasses Downtown and Peer Music, in addition to the above-mentioned collecting societies and indie publishers, unveiled their recently inked licensing agreement today. The multi-year and multi-territory … Continue reading "TikTok Ends Its Licensing Dispute With STIM, GEMA and PRS — Multi-Year Agreement Signed"

MC5’s Wayne Kramer has sued Proctor & Gamble over its Old Spice Guitar Solo body wash, and not just because he’s offended as a guitarist at the idea of his … Continue reading "MC5’s Wayne Kramer sues Old Spice over its Guitar Solo soap bottle"

The first oral hearing as part of Parliament’s inquiry into the economics of music streaming heard from four music-makers yesterday who told MPs that the current model isn’t working for … Continue reading "Performer ER in the spotlight at first parliamentary hearing on the economics of music streaming"

23 November 2020 – Private copying levies are a vital source of income for creators and rightsholders across the world. Yet they have an even greater potential if adequate legislation, … Continue reading "New Private Copying Global Study shows potential for better remuneration of rightsholders"

Re: Summary of the November 13, 2020 Ex-Parte Meeting Between the United States Copyright Office on behalf of the following independent, US-based music creator organizations: the Songwriters Guild of America, … Continue reading "Black Box Hunting: The Songwriters Guild/Society of Composers & Lyricists/Music Creators North America’s Ex Parte Letter Stands Up for Transparency"

With only one month and change left of the year, most of us are ready to give 2020 a quick goodbye and a shove out of the proverbial door. However, … Continue reading "Congress can help music creators survive the pandemic by passing several bipartisan bills"

SAG-AFTRA and Actors Equity announced on Thursday that they have reached an agreement on how to handle jurisdiction over recording and streaming of stage shows, ending a dispute triggered by … Continue reading "SAG-AFTRA and Actors Equity Reach Deal on Recording, Streaming Stage Shows"

On Wednesday, November 18, 2020, an ex-partevideo-conference meetingwas conducted by theUnited States Copyright Office (USCO) with Jeff Priceconcerning rulemakingsin connection with Doc. No. 2020-12. Read More: https://www.copyright.gov/rulemaking/mma-implementation/ex-parte/jeff-price.pdf

Article 17 of the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market (‘CDSMD’) is an inexhaustible source for debate. Setting forth new obligations to prevent the appearance of illegal user … Continue reading "The Implementation of Article 17 CDSMD in EU Member States and the Evolution of the Digital Services Act: Why the Ban on General Monitoring Obligations Must Not Be Underestimated"

US singer Taylor Swift has confirmed a report that music mogul Scooter Braun has sold the rights to her first six albums. US entertainment magazine Variety first reported on Monday … Continue reading "Taylor Swift master tapes sold by Scooter Braun to investment fund"

China’s copyright laws are getting an update, including more careful definitions of copyrighted works, and much bigger punitive damages for infringement. Read More: https://musically.com/2020/11/17/china-stiffens-its-copyright-laws-including-music-aspects/

The European Composer And Songwriter Alliance has hit out at Spotify’s recent announcement that it is piloting a new marketing service that will allow artists and labels to influence the … Continue reading "Pan-European songwriter group hits out at Spotify’s new discount-for-promo pilot"

The platform’s Global Head of Music, Lyor Cohen, has today (November 17) confirmed via a blog post that more than 2 billion logged-in YouTube users are now playing music on … Continue reading "Over 2bn YouTube users are now playing music videos every month"

SAG-AFRTRA president Gabrielle Carteris has promised to ‘directly engage’ with pro wrestlers after calls for unionisation. Former WWE superstar Zelina Vega – whose release from the company over the weekend … Continue reading "Screen Actors Guild supports wrestlers after fired WWE star Zelina Vega calls for unionisation"

Music publishers were expecting to win huge damages in a five-year copyright battle over concert recordings. Did a health pandemic ruin these plans? Read More: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/no-encore-for-music-publishers-who-say-covid-19-wrecked-copyright-trial

On October 26, the Union of Musicians and Allied Workers launched an initiative called Justice at Spotify, publishing a detailed list of demands with the goal of making streaming fairer … Continue reading "More Than 18,000 Musicians Are Demanding a Penny Per Stream from Spotify"

Thom Tillis, the US senator who co-led a series of discussions in Congress earlier this year on America’s Digital Millennium Copyright Act, has said he believes it’s time to reform … Continue reading "US Congressman proposes full-on reform of America’s Digital Millennium Copyright Act and its safe harbour"

Donald Trump still thinks he can win this one. We’re of course referring to the lawsuit that was filed against his presidential campaign for using the 1983 hit “Electric Avenue” … Continue reading "Trump Tries “Fair Use” Defense in Song Copyright Lawsuit"

I don’t claim any prescience, but it seemed obvious at the time that all the forces involved in the election had the need to preserve the notion that we were … Continue reading "The Y2K Election"

A music manager coalition is demanding a number of changes to streaming royalties paid to artists – or the lack thereof. The European Music Managers Alliance (EMMA), an Estonia-based music … Continue reading "Music Managers Band Together to Demand Better Streaming Royalties — “It Must Happen Now”"

Spotify is the music streaming service of choice for almost 300 million people, with 130 million paying customers. But the price of a Spotify premium subscription isn’t the same across … Continue reading "How Much Does Spotify Cost? — Here’s the Price In Every Country Worldwide"

As the UK Parliament’s culture select committee prepares for its inquiry into the economics of streaming and how monies generated by the streaming services are shared out across the music … Continue reading "Artist manager grouping calls for pan-European debate on the streaming business model"

The copyright battle over Led Zeppelin’s megahit “Stairway to Heaven” hasn’t given up the ghost yet. Lawyers for the plaintiff have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider the matter … Continue reading "Led Zeppelin ‘Stairway to Heaven’ copyright battle revived with new appeal to U.S. Supreme Court"

The Supreme Court in New Zealand has ruled that MegaUpload founder Kim Dotcom can be extradited to the US to face criminal copyright infringement charges in relation to his long-defunct … Continue reading "New Zealand Supreme Court says MegaUpload’s Kim Dotcom can be extradited to the US, but also provides one more appeal option"

Copyrighted video and music are tremendous sources of value in the era of Internet streaming. Subscriptions to streaming services continue to grow, even amidst COVID-related lockdowns. Yet evidence shows that … Continue reading "Congress must modernize copyright law to curb mass online theft"

Spotify has revealed that it will allow artists and labels to influence listener recommendations for no upfront cost – provided that they accept a lowered “promotional recording royalty rate” for … Continue reading "Spotify Is Letting Artists & Labels Influence Recommendations — For a Lowered “Promotional Recording Royalty Rate”"

At the start of the pandemic, concerns were mounting that the record industry was going to get lacerated. But at least in the case of the major music companies — … Continue reading "Why the Major Music Companies’ Profits Are Soaring in the Year of Chaos"

Canada proposes to compel online streaming services to set aside part of their revenue to fund domestic television and music production as the government looks to force global digital players … Continue reading "Canada proposes tax on streaming companies"

Business continues to boom for YouTube during the pandemic, Google revealed during its third quarter earnings call Thursday. The video platform’s virtual pay TV service, YouTube TV, has surpassed the … Continue reading "YouTube TV Surpasses 3 Million Paid Subscribers"

According to two separate sources, Google’s secret attack plan against Europe’s planned Digital Services Act has leaked. According to French publication Le Point (“How Google Wants to Bend Brussels“): Read … Continue reading "It’s A Leak: Google’s Double Super Secret European Lobbying Order of Battle Against a Level Playing Field"

Many musicians benefit from YouTube royalties. Sometimes, however, it can be difficult to navigate. Do you know where your royalties are coming from? We’re here to break it down, so … Continue reading "5 Things You Should Know About YouTube Royalties"

One of the many U.S.-centric shortcomings of Title I of the Music Modernization Act (that created the Mechanical Licensing Collective, the safe harbor giveaway and the blanket license) is that … Continue reading "The World is not Flat: @CISACNews and BIEM Focus on Vendor Lock-in at the MLC"

Paris – 28 October 2020 – Worldwide royalty collections for creators of music, audiovisual works, visual arts, drama and literature are likely to decline this year by up to 35% … Continue reading "Global creators’ royalties expected to decline by up to €3.5 billion in 2020"

More than 9,000 artists have signed a Union of Musicians and Allied Workers petition demanding that Spotify pay at least one cent per stream. Dubbed “Justice at Spotify,” the petition … Continue reading "More Than 9,000 Artists Demand 1 Cent-Per-Stream Minimums from Spotify"

[Songwriters outside the United States should pay close attention to the disconnect between their CMOs and the MLC. It’s becoming increasingly apparent that The MLC is very US-centric and at … Continue reading "@CISACnews and BIEM’s Copyright Office Comments on the MLC"

[The Songwriters Guild of America and the Society of Composers & Lyricists filed a joint comment with the Copyright Office on proposed rules implementing the public database that The MLC, … Continue reading "Songwriters Guild and Society of Composers & Lyricists Copyright Office Comments on Database Ownership and Songwriter Credit in Public Database"

A group of more than 500 prominent European producers and directors, including Pedro Almodóvar, Agnieszka Holland and Pawel Pawlikowski, has signed an open letter demanding that new rules of engagement … Continue reading "Pedro Almodovar, Agnieszka Holland Among European Filmmakers Demanding New Rules of Engagement With U.S. Streamers"

Universal Music Group just stormed Q3. According to numbers from UMG parent Vivendi, the music company turned over €992m ($1.14bn) in recorded music streaming revenues in the three months to … Continue reading "Universal Music Group just generated over a billion dollars from streaming in a single quarter… during a global pandemic"

Sen. Thom Tillis will release draft legislation to amend the Digital Millennium Copyright Act on Dec. 18, a Senate Republican aide said Monday. The law was established to allow online … Continue reading "Tillis Said to Unveil Draft Digital Copyright Bill in December"

Warner Music Group executives shared an incentive plan jackpot worth $593m in stock following the firm’s IPO on the Nasdaq in June, MBW can reveal. The figure was the ultimate … Continue reading "Warner IPO saw group of senior execs share $593m result from long-term incentive plan"

Spotify has invented “a whole new kind of show”. Get this, right: There’s music, but as well as music, there’s also talking. Or maybe it’s the other way around. There’s … Continue reading "Spotify allows podcasters to add music to shows (finally)"

MPs are to launch an inquiry into the streaming music market, looking at whether musicians are paid fairly by services like Spotify and Apple Music. Streaming is now the major … Continue reading "MPs to investigate whether artists are paid fairly for streaming music"

If you have received foreign streaming royalties from Sony Music Entertainment that were not calculated “at source,” you could get compensation from a class action settlement. A settlement has been … Continue reading "SME Foreign Streaming Settlement"

All ticket sales for Broadway performances in New York City will be suspended through May 30, 2021, the Broadway League announced on Friday. All 41 Broadway theaters have been closed … Continue reading "Broadway will stay dark through May 30, 2021"

Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins has said that movie-going is facing a real threat of extinction. Her new superhero movie has been delayed three times during the coronavirus pandemic. She … Continue reading "Film-going could ‘become extinct’ warns director"

The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) previously announced that its headquarters will be located in Nashville, Tennessee — now we know the exact location. The Mechanical Licensing Collective, or MLC, officially … Continue reading "Mechanical Licensing Collective Officially Announces Its Nashville Headquarters"

Universal Music and Sony Music are continuing to fight the big two termination right cases that have been filed with the US courts, both accusing the artists pursuing said lawsuits … Continue reading "Universal and Sony hit back at artists leading termination right test cases"

SAG-AFTRA announced today that it has made one million direct-deposit payments to its members. SAG-AFTRA officials revealed the milestone this morning in an email to Digital Music News. Since introducing … Continue reading "SAG-AFTRA Has Made One Million Direct Deposit Payments to Members"

Universal Music and Sony Music are continuing to fight the big two termination right cases that have been filed with the US courts, both accusing the artists pursuing said lawsuits … Continue reading "Universal and Sony hit back at artists leading termination right test cases"

YouTube has apologised and deleted a tweet from its official Twitter account in which it mocked content creators for making videos that were too long. Under its own rules, adverts … Continue reading "YouTube apologises for mocking long videos"

The final possible legal challenge to Led Zeppelin’s ownership of Stairway To Heaven has been defeated. The band were sued for copyright in 2014 over claims they had stolen the … Continue reading "Led Zeppelin’s Stairway To Heaven copyright battle is finally over"