News

The former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman goes step by step through a half-century’s worth of resentments and standoffs that led to a better-late-than-never happy ending Read More: https://variety.com/2023/music/news/john-fogerty-details-battle-own-creedence-clearwater-revival-songs-1235537926/?curator=MediaREDEF

As generative machine learning (ML) systems become more mainstream, the discussion about copyright and ML input is back in the spotlight. At the heart of this discussion is the question … Continue reading "Protecting creatives or impeding progress? Machine learning and the EU copyright framework"

The European Commission has referred six member states of the European Union to the EU courts for failing to get the 2019 Copyright Directive properly integrated into their national copyright … Continue reading "European Commission goes to court against six countries still to implement the 2019 Copyright Directive"

If you’re an indie artist like me, you probably check your Spotify for Artists dashboard an unhealthy amount each day. (It’s a problem, I’m working on it). One feature they … Continue reading "My Song Was Added To a Botted Playlist on Spotify: Here’s What Happened"

The Future. That’s the million-dollar question running through every media executive’s mind these days. Most agree there’s no one-size-fits-all strategy for the business, as people’s TV consumption habits are constantly … Continue reading "Where is TV headed?"

The UK government’s Department For Culture, Media And Sport has posted an update on its work around the economics of music streaming, as well as publishing a new report looking … Continue reading "UK government provides update on economics of streaming work – and publishes algorithms report that proposes more transparency from streaming services"

The program has brought in an influx of new members (as well as membership dues) and made the union more diverse, according to Equity. Read More: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/actors-equity-permanently-opens-membership-to-any-professional-actor-or-stage-manager-1235321456/

In January 2022, the most popular movie on Netflix was “Don’t Look Up,” a newly released disaster comedy with Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence. But the second-most-popular movie was “Just … Continue reading "Hollywood Braces for a Possible Writers Strike: Why the WGA and Studios Are on a Collision Course"

Getty Images has launched a lawsuit against Stability AI over the unauthorized use of its images to train its AI model. The lawsuit was filed in a U.S. district court … Continue reading "Getty Sues Stability AI for Copyright Infringement Over 12 Million Photos"

Picture it. You click on the video of viral TikTok star Nathan Apodaca skating down the freeway with his bottle of Ocean Spray. Yet instead of hearing Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams … Continue reading "Is TikTok about to pull off a heist on the music industry?"

An activist group of workers in the music industry that has previously pressed Spotify for increased royalty rates has trained its sights on SXSW. Read More: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/sxsw-musician-compensation-application-fee-criticized-petition-1235319658/

The UK’s Intellectual Property Office has published a new report scrutinising the possible practicalities and potential impact of introducing reversion and contract adjustment rights into British copyright law. Both those … Continue reading "IPO publishes economics of streaming research on reversion and contract adjustment rights for music-makers"

“Enough is enough. Artists have built SXSW and we must be fairly compensated for our work,” states the letter, organized by the activist group Union of Musicians and Allied Workers. … Continue reading "Musicians Take Aim at SXSW Over Pay for Performers"

Total volume will continue to slide as ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox reduce spending amid a larger shift to year-round development for the 2023-24 season. Read More: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/broadcast-tv-pilots-2023-1235319809/#recipient_hashed=3a259dd7948fa5cf81748fd59fbfdb0cdc19448cf6f4bf505f19cde98578e9d3&recipient_salt=44b86a45cc341bf0e4a54672d3b92bed408f33e80b1cb0325e520de4d3612f9d&utm_medium=email&utm_source=exacttarget&utm_campaign=Breaking%20News&utm_content=411943_02-07-2023&utm_term=2803480

A just-signed Sound Credit-PPL partnership will now allow North American performers to better collect international royalties from a range of neighboring rights. Music rights holders can now increase their payouts … Continue reading "Sound Credit Partners With PPL — North American Creators Can Now Collect Neighboring Rights Royalties"

This report investigates two proposals that have been made to protect the contractual interests of UK music creators by making changes to domestic copyright law. One of the proposals is … Continue reading "Intellectual Property Office: Research and analysis Rights reversion and contract adjustment"

Last March, TikTok rolled out SoundOn in the U.S., the U.K., Brazil, and Indonesia. Now, the distribution and marketing service has debuted in Australia, where the ByteDance-owned platform is currently … Continue reading "TikTok Officially Launches SoundOn in Australia Amid Major Label Licensing Talks"

Writing songs for top acts used to be a reliable source of income. Now, thanks to a rapidly changing industry, songwriters face trouble making ends meet Read More: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/pop-songwriters-industry-broke-1234662448/

You may recently have heard the term “CRB reform” tossed around by various music industry entities. The term usually means changes to the law or regulations governing the Copyright Royalty … Continue reading "The Enemy Gets a Vote: How will Big Tech respond to “CRB Reform”?"

The Mechanical Licensing Collective, Inc. published its tax return for 2021 so you could have a look at the salaries of all those people who can’t manage to pay out … Continue reading "Know Your MLC: “Highest Compensated” Employees"

The people you see onstage at the Grammys can make it work. But for a lot of singers and songwriters, streaming has made a full-time music career unsustainable. Read More: … Continue reading "In the Spotify era, many musicians struggle to make a living"

The American Music Fairness Act has been introduced in Congress, again. The respective sides on the issue put out statements echoing what they’ve been saying over many years. The question … Continue reading "Royalty Bill Is Introduced in Congress Once Again"

The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) had accumulated at least $561 million in unmatched royalties as of 2021’s end, according to tax documents reviewed by Digital Music News. Read More: https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2023/02/03/mechanical-licensing-collective-black-box-royalties/

UK Music has welcomed a statement from intellectual property minister George Freeman to the effect that the UK government will not be proceeding with a proposed new copyright exception covering … Continue reading "UK Music welcomes government decision to abandon new data mining copyright exception"

This post looks back at the key developments in AI and copyright in 2022, covering generative AI, text and data mining exceptions, the pastiche exception, deep fakes, voice cloning and … Continue reading "AI and copyright in 2022"

CAA aims to create opportunities for Hume’s roster of virtual artists with top brands. Are broader audiences ready for this? Read More: https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2023/02/02/caa-launches-a-new-virtual-artist-deal/?mc_cid=784e6cc371&mc_eid=3d7da4c48d

Following Universal Music boss Lucian Grainge’s recent memo calling for a shake up of the way music streaming works, the mega-major has announced a new partnership with Tidal which will … Continue reading "Universal Music announces alliance with Tidal to shake up the streaming business model"

The government promises “necessary action” to prevent Australian storytelling from being “drowned out” by overseas programming, especially from Hollywood. Read More: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/australia-local-content-quota-streaming-netflix-1235312577/

An impressive new AI system from Google can generate music in any genre given a text description. But the company, fearing the risks, has no immediate plans to release it. … Continue reading "Google created an AI that can generate music from text descriptions, but won’t release it"

Warner Music says that 4500 music-makers have benefited from its commitment a year ago to start paying through royalties on pre-2000 record deals where the artist has yet to recoup. However, the … Continue reading "Warner Music says 4500 artists benefiting from unrecouped advances programme, though no extension of the scheme yet"

The case claims UMG has “systematically” rejected termination notices from hundreds of artists, but a judge says each musician will need bring their own case. Read More: https://www.billboard.com/pro/universal-music-artists-cant-sue-over-termination-right-class-action/

In fall 2021, to save on production costs, Apple leaned on a condition inside of a clause inside of an industry-wide contract with entertainment-union IATSE. The largest company in the … Continue reading "All Major Streamers, Including Apple TV+, Now Pay IATSE’s Higher Rates – Regardless of Subscriber Count (Exclusive)"

On Jan. 23, as Spotify staff learned of plans to lay off 6 percent of the company, or about 600 people, top podcast executives at the audio giant went into … Continue reading "As Dawn Ostroff Exits, Spotify Rethinks Rich Talent Deals"

Fans, politicians and even musicians have been complaining about the painful process of trying to buy tickets for concerts for years. From soaring prices to intractable online queues and the … Continue reading "Live music: How buying concert tickets could be made better"

Rick Astley has filed a multimillion-dollar suit against Yung Gravy, saying that the rap artist was unauthorized in using an imitation of his vocals from 1987’s Never Gonna Give You … Continue reading "Rick Astley files multimillion-dollar suit against Yung Gravy over alleged violation in imitating his vocals from 1987 hit Never Gonna Give You Up"

The US-based Ineffable Music Group has announced it is axing merch commissions at the ten venues that it owns and/or operates following the testimony of Clyde Lawrence earlier this week … Continue reading "US venue owner axes merch commissions following artist’s testimony in Congress"

Justin Bieber has sold his share of the rights to his music to Hipgnosis Songs Capital for a reported $200m (£162m). The firm now owns the pop star’s stake in … Continue reading "Justin Bieber sells rights to songs for $200m"

The Department of Justice and eight U.S. states allege in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday that Google has monopolized the digital advertising market and are pushing for the company to … Continue reading "Google Sued Over Digital Ad Monopoly by DOJ, 8 States"

Two new lawsuits argue that tools like Midjourney and Stable Diffusion are infringing on artists’ rights Read More: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/are-ai-image-generators-stealing-from-artists-180981488/

A little less than one year after concluding a long-running legal battle with the Radio Music License Committee (RMLC), performance rights organization Global Music Rights (GMR) has settled a pair … Continue reading "Global Music Rights Settles Lawsuits With Two Radio Groups Following RMLC Agreement"

Getty Images is taking legal action against the makers of an artificial-intelligence image-creation tool. The agency, which sells the rights to use photographers’ and illustrators’ images, said Stability AI’s Stable … Continue reading "AI image creator faces UK and US legal challenges"

On-location filming in Los Angeles fell by 2.4% in 2022 compared to the prior year, with feature film and television shoot days down 9.6%, TV pilots plummeting 71.9% and commercial … Continue reading "Los Angeles On-Location Filming Falls In 2022; TV Pilots Plummet By 71.9% As Film & TV Production Drops, FilmLA Says"

It’s a brave person who gets the ChatGPT AI to write a song in the style of Nick Cave, then sends it to Nick Cave to see what he thinks. In … Continue reading "Nick Cave gives ChatGPT both barrels: ‘This song is bullshit’"

The heirs of Robert and Ronnie Wilson – two thirds of The Gap Band – have sued BMG over allegations they are owed royalties stemming from the cut of Mark … Continue reading "BMG sued by Gap Band heirs over Uptown Funk royalties"

Re:   Notice of Proposed Rulemaking: Termination Rights and the Music Modernization Act’s Blanket License Docket No. 2022-5 Comment Dear General Counsel Wilson: Thank you for the opportunity to make this comment on … Continue reading "@musictechpolicy Comment to Copyright Office on Termination, the Black Box and Lawlessness at MLC"

MPs on the UK Parliament’s Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Select Committee have called for “more focus” on “ensuring creators and performers receive a fairer cut of the money made … Continue reading "MPs call for “more focus” on music-maker remuneration in Economics Of Music Streaming update"

Even as products like ChatGPT make advances, top film and TV writers are skeptical that the tech imperils their livelihoods, but some think talent advocates should be proactive about setting … Continue reading "Attack of the Chatbots: Screenwriters’ Friend or Foe?"

To make it easier for brands to work with its biggest creators, TikTok has updated its Creator Marketplace to include a Talent Manager Portal, inviting talent managers to oversee and analyze brand … Continue reading "TikTok Launches a ‘Talent Manager Portal’ Allowing Creators’ Managers to Negotiate Brand Deals"

Universal Music boss Lucian Grainge has confirmed that a big old rejig of the way streaming monies are allocated to individual tracks by the digital platforms each month is a … Continue reading "Universal boss says streaming needs to shift to an “artist-centric” model"

Fogerty struck a deal with Concord to take a majority stake in CCR’s publishing catalog, giving him ownership over his songs after decades of failed attempts Read More: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/john-fogerty-ccr-songs-deal-1234659981/

Even as products like ChatGPT make advances, top film and TV writers are skeptical that the tech imperils their livelihoods, but some think talent advocates should be proactive about setting … Continue reading "Attack of the Chatbots: Screenwriters’ Friend or Foe?"

In this comment to the Copyright Office, Abby North (independent publisher and Artist Rights Symposium III Moderator) calls on the Copyright Office to stop the MLC quango from unilaterally establishing … Continue reading "@northmusicgroup Calls Out The MLC’s Ability to Make “Law” Through Business Rules that Hurt Songwriters and Skew the Black Box to Benefit Majors — Artist Rights Watch–News for the Artist Rights Advocacy Community"

There was no honeymoon period for Warner Bros. Discovery last year after the two companies tied the knot in April. CEO David Zaslav, his top lieutenants and the teams at … Continue reading "Hollywood’s Next Reckoning: Studios Get Real About Runaway Spending on Streaming"

The Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) has signed up hundreds of music venues along with industry organisations to its initiative to stop artists being shortchanged when selling merch at their own … Continue reading "Featured Artists Coalition CEO urges live sector to back campaign against excessive merch commission"

Starting next month, music rightsholders and creators will be able to receive a revenue share from advertisements on YouTube Shorts. Read More: https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/youtube-shorts-to-split-ad-revenue-between-music-rightsholders-and-creators-from-february-1/

Rapper Dr Dre has sent a cease-and-desist letter to US politician Marjorie Taylor Greene, after she used one of his songs in a promotional video. Read More: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-64221538

In late December, a united recording industry pushed hard to advance the American Music Fairness Act (AMFA), a bill to finally pay artists for AM/FM radio plays in the U.S. … Continue reading "‘Artists won’t stop fighting until large broadcast corporations pay fairly for music.’"

A multitude of songwriters have formally voiced their support for a United States Copyright Office (USCO) rule that would clarify the blanket-license payout process employed by the Mechanical Licensing Collective … Continue reading "354 Songwriters and Managers Sign Letter Demanding Changes to the MLC’s Post-Termination Royalty Payments"

A federal judge has officially granted YouTube partial summary judgement in its long-running legal battle with Grammy-winning composer Maria Schneider. Read More: https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2023/01/09/maria-schneider-youtube-summary-judgement/

US hip hop duo Black Sheep kicked off the new year by suing Universal Music last week over the equity the major secured in Spotify when it first negotiated a … Continue reading "Black Sheep sue Universal over Spotify equity"

DGA leaders said today that their upcoming contract negotiations with the Aliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers “promises to be an extremely challenging negotiating environment – one of the … Continue reading "DGA Says Upcoming Film & TV Contract Talks Promise To Be “One Of Most Difficult” In Years"

Several artists, frustrated with Artificially Intelligent (AI) image generators skirting copyright laws, are using AI-image generators to produce images of Mickey Mouse and other copyrighted characters to challenge the current … Continue reading "Artists Are Selling AI-Generated Images of Mickey Mouse to Provoke a Test Case"

Signed by Sheryl Crow, John Mayer and many others, the letter warns that any opposition to the proposed new rule would be “a vote against songwriters.” Read More: https://www.billboard.com/pro/songwriters-letter-copyright-rule-streaming-royalties-music-artists-coalition/

On Friday, December 30th, the U.S. Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) officially accepted a negotiated music industry settlement that sets songwriters’ streaming royalty rates from January 1st, 2023, through 2027. Read … Continue reading "Copyright Royalty Board officially sets new songwriter royalty rates"

Photographs are included in Article 2(1) of the Berne Convention as copyrightable artistic works. All Berne Union Member States must thus provide copyright protection to photographic works. As is known, … Continue reading "Copyright Protection of Photographs: a Comparative Analysis Between France, Germany and Italy"

Two former ticket touts who were jailed in 2020 after being found guilty of fraudulent conduct in connection with their ticket touting business have been ordered to pay back £6,167,522.02 … Continue reading "Former ticket touts ordered to pay back £6 million"

A US lawsuit alleging that Taylor Swift stole lyrics for her hit song Shake It Off has been dismissed by a judge. Songwriters Sean Hall and Nate Butler had claimed … Continue reading "Taylor Swift: Judge dismisses Shake It Off copyright lawsuit"

Austrian song rights collecting society AKM has announced a new deal with licensing hub ICE, meaning it will directly participate in the ICE Core venture, which negotiates licensing deals with … Continue reading "Austrian collecting society AKM allies with licensing hub ICE"

A coalition of advocacy groups is making a last-ditch plea to Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) to prioritize passing several antitrust bills targeting tech giants with just three weeks … Continue reading "Advocacy groups make last-ditch plea to Schumer for vote on antitrust bills"

The Judiciary Committee of the US House Of Representatives yesterday approved the American Music Fairness Act, which would introduce a radio royalty for artists and record labels in America for … Continue reading "Judiciary Committee in US House Of Representatives approves radio royalty proposals"

Last week Spencer Elden – who, as a baby, appeared nude on the famous cover of Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’ album – continued his legal battle in relation to that artwork, filing … Continue reading "Nevermind baby makes filing with US appeals court in ongoing artwork dispute"

Nearly 60 million Americans—as much as 40% to 50% of the workforce in some cities—are members of the Creative Class, meaning they are directly employed to work with their intelligence … Continue reading "The Creator Economy is the future of the economy"

Members of 2 Live Crew have called on a US judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed against them by Florida-based Lil Joe Records and to confirm that they can terminate … Continue reading "2 Live Crew urges US judge to dismiss lawsuit seeking to block a termination right claim"

The Judiciary Committee of the US House Of Representatives will this week discuss the proposed American Music Fairness Act which would introduce a radio royalty for recordings into American copyright … Continue reading "US Congressional committee to consider latest radio royalty proposal this week"

A group of Taylor Swift fans have sued Live Nation’s Ticketmaster over all the issues that occurred when tickets went on sale for her 2023 US tour because, well, of … Continue reading "Taylor Swift fans sue Ticketmaster over The Eras Tour ticketing meltdown"

Video-sharing social networking service Triller, the US-based challenger to TikTok, says that it is exploring revenue share deals with major labels. Read More: https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/now-triller-says-its-exploring-revenue-share-deals-with-major-labels-while-being-sued-by-sony1/

About three months after being named in a multimillion-dollar copyright infringement lawsuit filed by Sony Music, Triller has officially removed the music of the Big Three labels as well as … Continue reading "Triller Removes Music From the Major Labels and Merlin Amid Unpaid-Royalties Rumors"

The contract is still subject to ratification by Equity members. Actors’ Equity and the Broadway League reached a new, three-year collective bargaining agreement for Broadway shows and sit-down production, the … Continue reading "Broadway League, Actors’ Equity Reach Tentative Agreement on Contract"

It’s that time of year again. Music marketers are bracing for the worst of the Q4 crunch to be over. Mariah Carey’s accountant is browsing speedboat catalogues. And Music Ally … Continue reading "22 best data sources to understand the music industry in 2022"

Hipgnosis chief Merck Mercuriadis has criticised the UK’s Competition & Markets Authority for, as he sees it, confirming the issues faced by artists and songwriters in the music streaming economy, … Continue reading "Merck Mercuriadis criticises CMA for “passing the buck” on streaming market issues"

Independent music giant [PIAS] revealed on Wednesday (November 30), that Universal Music Group has made a minority investment in the company. Read More: https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/pias-founders-explain-why-they-sold-49-of-their-company-to-umg-the-battle-lines-in-our-industry-have-been-redrawn/

Amazon’s leaked shift to the cinemas almost deprioritizes Prime Video. You may know Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service as the home of The Boys or The Rings of Power. Or … Continue reading "New report suggests Amazon is snubbing Prime Video with big movie theater push"

Lyor Cohen has dominated the music industry since the rise of Run-DMC and Def-Jam records. Now he’s all-in on YouTube Shorts, can he teach TikTok a thing or two? Read … Continue reading "“Artists are about to go on strike”: YouTube’s Lyor Cohen on his plans to save the music industry"

Steve Lynch, the founding guitarist for ’80s hard rockers Autograph, is speaking out after being sued by current members of the band over the group’s trademark. Read More: https://loudwire.com/non-original-autograph-members-suing-co-founder-band-trademark/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral

Apollo Global Management Inc. is selling a $1.65 billion bond backed by Phil Collins and R.E.M. songs in Concord Music Royalties’ first securitization, according to people with knowledge of the … Continue reading "Apollo to Lead Bond Sale Tied to Phil Collins, R.E.M. Royalties"

In late July, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) decided against launching a full-scale investigation into streaming and the wider music industry. Now, the government agency has explained the … Continue reading "CMA Issues ‘Final Report’ On Music Streaming: ‘Competition Appears to Be Working Reasonably Well’"

The UK’s Competition & Markets Authority has published the final report from its study of the streaming music market, concluding that challenges faced by artists and songwriters in the streaming … Continue reading "CMA concludes that competition issues are not creating challenges for music-makers in the streaming economy"

Readers will remember that the UK Economics of Music Streaming Inquiry [full Kat coverage here] took place last year. The DCMS Select Committee Report following the Inquiry made several recommendations, … Continue reading "Progress report on UK Economics of Music Streaming Recommendations"

Most indie musicians work a day job (yay, capitalism). And it can be frustrating trying to balance your passion with your paycheck. We don’t talk about it enough. So here … Continue reading "How To Grow Your Music Career While Working a Day Job"

Many songwriters are not aware that the mechanical licensing collective is a statutory entity that is required to be operated by a nonprofit company with certain characteristics. The nonprofit is … Continue reading "@SenatorLeahy Starts the Countdown for MLC Review"

On the party circuit during Emmy weekend, one topic inevitably found its way into every conversation, the possibility of a writers strike. Even back in September, the consensus was that … Continue reading "Strike Watch: Would WGA Build Coalition With DGA & SAG-AFTRA In Upcoming Contract Negotiations?"

UPDATE: Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) is following through on plans to hold a U.S. Senate antitrust panel hearing into the lack of competition in the ticketing industry. Public outrcry over … Continue reading "Sen. Amy Klobuchar Confirms Congressional Antitrust Hearing In Wake Of Ticketmaster’s Taylor Swift Fiasco – Update"

YouTube TV subscribers take issue with Disney’s ownership of Hulu and ESPN, which they say has allowed the company to drive up prices across the market. Read More: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/disney-antitrust-suit-live-streaming-tv-prices-1235268605/

The Future. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have closed up shop on their long-running Pearl Street Films (which had a deal at Warner Bros.) and are launching a new studio … Continue reading "Ben Affleck and Matt Damon unveil Artists Equity to spread the wealth"

The trade-off of back-end incentives for upfront fees needs to be updated and platforms should work with partners to develop transparent performance metrics for creatives, the agency chief writes. Read … Continue reading "UTA’s Jeremy Zimmer: As Streaming Giants Evolve Their Business, It’s Time to Rethink Talent Deals"

Paramount’s blocked sale of Simon & Schuster marks an early win for an emboldened DOJ’s antitrust enforcement while a reported renewed look at Live Nation could be a worrying sign … Continue reading "Fear for Your Megamergers: The Justice Dept. Is (Finally) Taking Action"

On Oct. 31, the Department of Justice antitrust division landed a major victory when a federal judge blocked Penguin Random House’s $2.175 billion bid to buy rival Simon & Schuster from … Continue reading "Fear for Your Megamergers: The Justice Dept. Is (Finally) Taking Action"

Taylor Swift says it was “excruciating” to watch fans struggle to buy tickets for her upcoming US tour, after sales descended into chaos this week. Ticketmaster was criticised over its … Continue reading "Taylor Swift tour: Excruciating to watch Ticketmaster ticket chaos, says pop star"

Yesterday, by Decision n° 454477, the French Conseil d’État stated that Directive (EU) 2019/790 (DSM Directive) has been insufficiently transposed in France, in particular concerning Article 18. Articles 18-22 of … Continue reading "French ruling on transposition of the principle of appropriate and proportionate remuneration"

a book about why creative labor markets are rigged – and how to unrig them Competition is supposed to be fundamental to capitalism. Over the last four decades though, greedy … Continue reading "Defeat chokepoint capitalism to get artists paid"

Ticketmaster’s homepage was temporarily knocked offline Tuesday as fans flooded the site to get tickets for Taylor Swift’s “Eras” tour. “HOW IS TICKETMASTER ALREADY DOWN ?????? #TaylorSwiftTix” one fan wrote, … Continue reading "Ticket sales for Taylor Swift tour reignite fan frustration over Ticketmaster"

YouTube is bringing its YouTube Shorts format to TV with a new look designed to improve how the vertical videos look on widescreens. Neal Mohan, YouTube’s Chief Product Officer, says … Continue reading "YouTube Shorts Are Coming to TVs — With a Big Screen Viewing Format"

When governments plan to introduce controversial new policies, they prepare the ground in advance (dropping hints in speeches, privately briefing journalists, etc.), so that by the time the new policy … Continue reading "The coming long-tail cull"

Significant change is afoot at social media giant Twitter. Within a week of closing his $44 billion acquisition of the company, Elon Musk has started implementing a major overhaul at … Continue reading "Elon Musk says Twitter will soon ‘share revenue with content creators’. Will that include music?"

The European Grouping of Societies of Authors and Composers (GESAC) and The European Composer and Songwriter Alliance (ECSA) are calling on EU officials “to put an end to the coercive … Continue reading "European Songwriter Organizations Call for EU Lawmakers to End ‘The Coercive Buy-Out Practices of US-Based VOD Platforms’"

YouTube is gearing up to roll out a new feature that will allow select creators to invite a guest to go live with them, the company announced on its Creator … Continue reading "YouTube will soon roll out a ‘Go Live Together’ co-streaming feature to select creators"

When Rob Jones uploaded a video to YouTube in which he plays a few Nirvana riffs on a guitar, his video was flagged for violating the site’s copyright rules. “Literally … Continue reading "YouTube’s automated copyright tool riles up musicians"

(Reuters) – The Walt Disney Co and songwriters Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez copied another musician’s work in their song “Some Things Never Change” from the hit animated film “Frozen … Continue reading "Disney sued by musician over song from ‘Frozen II’ soundtrack"

Singer Mariah Carey is no longer being sued for copyright infringement over her hit song All I Want for Christmas is You, after country singer Andy Stone dropped his legal … Continue reading "Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas is You copyright case dropped"

Scott Cohen has revealed more about the new venture he is leading following his departure from Warner Music. According to Billboard, he has taken on the role of CEO for … Continue reading "The Orchard founder reveals new venture to “fractionalise ownership of music royalties”"

Per-unit royalties are a bet on yourself. Revenue share royalties tied to the performance of someone you license to is a bet on that platform, not on yourself. Nowhere is … Continue reading "#DoubleStat: Songwriters Brace for the Real Trickle Down Royalty as Big Tech Advertising Revenue Tanks"

A US judge has rejected arguments by streaming service Pandora that an agency representing the copyrights of a roster of comedians is operating an anti-competitive licensing cartel. Judge Mark Scarsi … Continue reading "Judge rejects Pandora’s cartel claims against comedy rights agency"

Revenues collected by the music industry’s song right collecting societies worldwide increased by 7.2% to 8.48 billion euros last year, following a COVID-caused dip in 2020. However, with live music … Continue reading "Song right revenues began to recover in 2021, but are still 5.1% below pre-pandemic levels"

Publisher and songwriter royalties collected by their societies globally hit EUR €8.48 billion in 2021 (USD $10.02 bn). Although that total royalties haul represented a 7.2% rise versus 2020, it … Continue reading "Global songwriter royalty collections topped $10bn in 2021, but were still below pre-pandemic levels"

Everyone from Jeff Bezos to Gwyneth Paltrow is talking about the likelihood of a deepening recession, with the Amazon founder advising Twitter followers on Oct. 19 to batten down the … Continue reading "How Bad Would a Recession Be for Hollywood?"

Just over a decade after Netflix created the international SVOD market — with the launch of regional versions of its streaming platform, first in Canada, then worldwide — the battle … Continue reading "Global Streaming Is Still Growing, But Starting to Get Squeezed"

The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) formed after the Music Modernization Act, has distributed nearly $700 million in blanket royalties to its members. The MLC held its second annual membership meeting … Continue reading "MLC Says Nearly $700MM In Royalties Distributed to Date to Members"

A hacker who stole two unreleased songs from Ed Sheeran and sold them on the dark web has been jailed for 18 months. Adrian Kwiatkowski traded the music by Sheeran … Continue reading "Ed Sheeran: Hacker who stole singer’s unreleased music is jailed"

As streamers grapple with the economic realities of writing overinflated checks to lure talent, and the pandemic has made studios more comfortable with the idea of day-and-date releases, the days … Continue reading "Salary Survey: What Hollywood Earns Now, From Stars to C-Suite Execs"

Europe’s Independent Music Companies Association (IMPALA) has rolled out an updated digital strategy that centers on increasing payouts from streaming services and compelling “all labels to pay fair contemporary digital … Continue reading "IMPALA Sets Sights On Increasing Digital Payouts As Recorded Music Revenues Lag Behind Pre-Streaming Levels"

Readers will recall that the MLC is sitting on a pile of other peoples money (i.e., the Mechanical Licensing Collective, the DSPs one-of-a-kind joint venture quango mandated by the good … Continue reading "#DoubleStat: @SenatorLeahy Says Show Me the Money on the MLC–@ArtistRights Watch"

If Netflix’s business models were structured like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the company would be about to enter Phase 3. Phase 1, of course, is when the company launched its … Continue reading "Netflix’s Data Vault Cracks Open a Little (For Its Advertising Partners)"

In a bid to weed out copyright infringement in the music industry, record labels in the US are now targeting artificial intelligence-based music extractors and mixers online. Read More: https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/record-industry-clamps-down-on-ai-based-music-extractors-that-infringe-on-copyrights/

Streamers Lack of Local Cultural Contribution Look at Spotify’s “Global Top 50” playlist on any day and the world’s biggest music service will show all or nearly all English language … Continue reading "Streaming Remuneration: An answer to global cultural dominance by European/US Streaming Services"

A stack of artists have sued Trax Records, the Chicago-based label that played an important role in the development of house music in the 1980s. The plaintiffs claim that the … Continue reading "More artists sue Trax Records over allegedly unpaid royalties"

LiveOne (formerly LiveXLive) and its Slacker Radio subsidiary have been ordered to pay about $9.77 million in owed licensing payments to SoundExchange, which filed a lawsuit against the audio-entertainment platform … Continue reading "Federal Judge Orders Slacker and LiveOne to Pay SoundExchange $9.8 Million In Owed Licensing Payments"

Earlier this month, leading music publishers and streaming giants including Spotify released an unredacted version of their Phonorecords IV settlement. But songwriter organizations then called for the disclosure of any … Continue reading "CRB Orders Phonorecords IV Settling Parties to File All ‘Supplemental’ Written and Oral Agreements Following Pushback"

The pan-European trade group for the independent music sector, IMPALA, has again voiced its opposition to the extension of performer equitable remuneration to streaming, while calling for “all labels to … Continue reading "IMPALA again confirms opposition to ER on streams, while calling for focus on music’s “investment stream”"

US song rights collecting society BMI has announced plans to shift from operating on a not-for-profit business model to a for-profit business model. Why? Because doing so will “open up … Continue reading "BMI announces shift to for-profit business model"

The daughter of the late Jay Livingston – a prolific songwriter perhaps best known from co-writing ‘Que Sera Sera’ – has submitted a motion to the courts in Nashville seeking … Continue reading "Que Sera Sera writer’s daughter seeks dismissal of termination rights case filed by her daughter"

Netflix has signed up to the TV ratings agency Barb, which means its audiences will be measured by an external, independent body for the first time. Read More: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-63218707

The Music Creators North America organisation has welcomed the decision by the US National Music Publishers Association and Digital Media Association to release in full details of the deal they … Continue reading "Music Creators North America welcomes increased transparency on streaming rate deal"

There’s an old saying among sailors that water always wins. Sunlight does, too. It may take a while, but time reveals all things in the cold light of dawn. So … Continue reading "Will Sunlight Win at the Copyright Royalty Board in Big Tech’s Latest Credibility Debacle?"

American collecting society Global Music Rights has sued three radio companies in the US for failing to secure licences covering the organisation’s songs. The accused broadcasters are “sophisticated media companies” … Continue reading "Irving Azoff’s collecting society sues three US radio companies for copyright infringement"

Two deceased superstars, the artist Andy Warhol and the musician Prince, will take center stage at the nation’s highest court. No, it’s not one of those hologram concerts no one … Continue reading "When is “fair use” fair? In Warhol copyright case, Supreme Court could offer new answers."

Emmanuel Legrand prepared an excellent and important study for the European Grouping of Societies of Authors and Composers (GESAC) that identifies crucial effects of streaming on culture, creatives and especially … Continue reading "Thinking Outside the Pie: @legrandnetwork Study for GESAC Highlights Streaming Impact on Choking Diversity and Songwriter Royalties"

Hybe has acquired AI tech startup Supertone in a deal worth an estimated $32 million. Supertone synthesizes realistic voices that can sing. According to Korean media, the deal follows a … Continue reading "HYBE Acquires AI ‘Singing Voice Synthesis’ Company Supertone in $32MM Deal"

As the song theft legal battle in relation to Taylor Swift’s ‘Shake It Off’ rumbles on, at a court hearing yesterday attention turned to the argument that the songwriters suing … Continue reading "Taylor Swift says Shake It Off song-theft accusers don’t even have the right to sue"

The Music Creators North America organisation has called on the US Copyright Royalty Board to make public the agreement reached between the music publishers and the streaming services regarding the … Continue reading "Songwriters call for full transparency around US song royalty rate settlement deal"

Paul Johnson’s life was like any other struggling musician’s—working multiple jobs, picking up gigs, hustling. Then his warm acoustic folk-pop tune “Firework” made it on to one of Spotify’s Fresh … Continue reading "Streamers Use Playlists to Control the Music Industry"

While there’s been no official word, legendary British rockers Pink Floyd have been shopping their recorded-music catalog and other assets for several months, seeking as much as $500 million, according … Continue reading "Will Roger Waters’ Explosive New Comments About Israel and Ukraine Sink a $500 Million Pink Floyd Catalog Sale?"

The U.S. Supreme Court won’t weigh in on a copyright fight over the Paramount Pictures movie “What Men Want.” The decision brings to an end at least part of author … Continue reading "Supreme Court won’t review copyright fight over Paramount’s ‘What Men Want’"

RME, the digital-first rights management organization, announced today the launch of its services to provide proper attribution and transparent royalty payments for creators worldwide. Read More: https://medium.com/platform-stream/rme-debuts-a-modern-rights-organization-fixing-digital-attribution-royalty-payments-c793d66583c7

The Supreme Court agreed to hear challenges to the broad liability protections enjoyed by Google, Facebook and other social media companies for the third party content posted on their platforms. … Continue reading "Supreme Court To Hear Challenge To Liability Protections For YouTube And Other Tech Platforms"

Recent reports claimed that the star had become the first Hollywood figure to sell his rights to a company for virtual appearances in film and marketing projects. Read More: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/bruce-willis-refutes-report-digital-likeness-deepfake-1235231331/

In September 2020, the various Hollywood unions negotiated the proper conditions for production to resume safely after the pandemic shut down most production in March of that year. Read More: … Continue reading "Negotiations for Covid-19 Safety Agreement Continue Between DGA, SAG-AFTRA, IATSE, Teamsters"

The Future. Berlin-based musician Holly Herndon released an AI tool, dubbed Holly+, that allows any artist to use an AI version of their voice for whatever song they’re working on. … Continue reading "Musician clones herself into an AI deepfake voice"

In late 1964, caught on the horns of the sterling crises in a rapidly changing environment, UK Prime Minister Harold Wilson reportedly quipped: “A week is a long time in … Continue reading "Licensing, Lawsuits and Revenue Sharing: Meta’s Evolving Relationship with the Music Industry"

UK collecting society PRS For Music yesterday set out plans to launch a new online portal that will provide easy access to key data linked to the songs catalogue it … Continue reading "PRS announces plans for new portal offering easy access to song rights data"

A US judge has declined to dismiss one of the song-theft lawsuits that alleges Ed Sheeran ripped off Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get It On’ when he wrote his 2014 song … Continue reading "Judge declines to issue summary judgement in second song theft case over Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud"

The House on Thursday passed a package of antitrust bills aimed at boosting antitrust enforcers’ ability to take on powerful tech firms in a 242-184 vote that split both parties. … Continue reading "House passes antitrust bills targeting tech giants’ power"

Can you really trust the play counts on Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube? To find out, we interviewed the CEO of a company with a sophisticated method for validating play … Continue reading "Spotify Is Riddled With Fake Streams — Or Is It? Our Latest Podcast"

Meta has told a US court that a lawsuit filed against it by production music firm Epidemic Sound has so many “vague assertions and glaring omissions” in it that it … Continue reading "Meta criticises Epidemic’s copyright lawsuit over “vague assertions and glaring omissions”"

The American record industry has welcomed the introduction of formal proposals in the US Senate that would force AM and FM radio stations in the country to start paying royalties … Continue reading "American industry welcomes the launch of radio royalty proposals in US Senate"

As short-form video explodes, YouTube, Twitch, Snap and other tech platforms are reasserting leverage with influencers in the area that matters most: how to divvy up subscription and ad revenues. … Continue reading "Social Media Giants to Top Creators: Your Terms of Service Have Changed"

YouTube yesterday announced a new service called Creator Music which aims to make it easier for creators on the video platform to use commercially released music in their content while … Continue reading "YouTube launches new music micro-licensing service for its video creators"

The video giant will pool together the revenue from all Shorts ads and dole out that money to creators based on their share of total Shorts views. Read More: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/youtube-shorts-ad-revenue-sharing-1235223925/

The order follows recent directives by a federal appeals court not to dismiss copyright cases too early. Muppet Babies, a reboot of the 1984 animated series of the same name, … Continue reading "Disney Loses Bid to Dismiss ‘Muppet Babies’ Reboot Copyright Suit"

Eight WGA West members have been elected to the guild’s board of directors in a race that foreshadowed a possible writers strike next year. Former board member Angelina Burnett was … Continue reading "WGA West Elects Eight Board Members As Possible Writers Strike Looms In May"

Voltage Pictures and several dozen affiliates and copyright owners have sued Comcast for allegedly refusing to jettison Internet subscribers that repeatedly watch pirated films on illegal BitTorrent sites. In previous … Continue reading "Voltage Pictures, Copyright Owners Sue Comcast For Allowing Users To Pirate Films"

D’you know the best time to interview a C-suite executive at a giant music company? When they’ve already announced they’re leaving. Read More: https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/steve-cooper-warner-has-reduced-our-dependency-on-superstars-calls-for-regular/

UK-based PACE Rights Management has welcomed a recent ruling in the Belgian courts regarding a dispute over the rates charged and methodology employed by song rights collecting society SABAM in … Continue reading "PACE welcomes court ruling on the live music tariff of Belgian collecting society SABAM"

Miley Cyrus is the latest musician to be hit with a copyright infringement lawsuit by photographer Robert Barbera over photos she posted to Instagram. He has previously sued Justin Bieber, … Continue reading "Miley Cyrus the latest artist to be sued over sharing pap photo on social media"

This blog has already covered the decision of the Rome Court of First Instance concerning a copyright infringement claim concerning a fictional character. The action had been brought by the … Continue reading "Another shot for Rango (but, incidentally, the “fair use” defence in Italy has been shot too): Rome Appeal Court confirms there is no misappropriation nor infringement of the “Man With No Name” character"

A federal judge has officially denied Spotify’s early motion for summary judgement against Kobalt as part of a long-running legal battle centering on allegedly unpaid royalties for billions of Eminem … Continue reading "Judge Denies Spotify’s Early Motion For Summary Judgement Against Kobalt In Eminem Publisher Legal Battle"

A total of 2,000 musicians, painters and writers in Ireland are set to receive a weekly basic income of €325 ($330) per week under a new scheme to be piloted … Continue reading "2,000 artists and creatives in Ireland to be paid basic income of $330 per week under new pilot scheme"

UK-based music firm Greensleeves has settled a legal battle with Chris Brown and his label over the allegations that the musician ripped off an earlier song that it publishes on … Continue reading "Greensleeves settles with Chris Brown over alleged song theft"

Private equity firm Francisco Partners has confirmed it is acquiring a majority stake in Kobalt, though the current management team at the music publishing company will remain in place following … Continue reading "Francisco Partners acquires majority stake in Kobalt"

The WGA has settled an arbitration against Amazon, collecting more than $4 million in underpaid residuals and interest owed to 37 screenwriters on 31 films produced or acquired by Amazon. … Continue reading "WGA Collects Over $4 Million In Settlement With Amazon Over Unpaid Residuals"

The European Composer & Songwriter Alliance has welcomed a new report on the streaming market in Germany commissioned by German song rights collecting society GEMA which, it says, echos many … Continue reading "ECSA says new GEMA study puts spotlight back on digital pie debate"

A group of independent movie companies has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against AT&T. The Internet provider, which has over 80 million subscribers in the US, faces far-reaching demands. In … Continue reading "Filmmakers Sue AT&T to Block Pirate Sites & Disconnect Repeat Infringers"

Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) is trying to clean up the messy state of crypto copyright. Last week, the company introduced what it dubs “Can’t Be Evil” licenses: a … Continue reading "Andreessen Horowitz wants to fix NFT copyright with its ‘Can’t Be Evil’ license"

A US judge has dismissed a man’s latest lawsuit against Nirvana over the band’s iconic 1991 album cover which showed him naked as a baby. Spencer Elden, 31, said his … Continue reading "Nirvana win lawsuit over 1991 Nevermind album cover"

The streaming services and the US music publishers have reached a deal over the royalty rate paid by the former to the latter, which means neither side will have to … Continue reading "Streaming services and music publishers reach deal on song royalty rates in the US"

The National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), and the Digital Media Association (DiMA) have officially unveiled a settlement agreement for the Phonorecords IV proceeding, which … Continue reading "Settlement Announced For Phonorecords IV Proceeding — Streaming Services Agree to 15.35% Headline Rate For 2023-2027"

SAG-AFTRA members have voted to ratify the union’s latest stand-alone contract deal with Netflix. After the voting period ended Aug. 31, the vote was 89.03 percent in favor of the … Continue reading "SAG-AFTRA Members Vote to Ratify Netflix Deal"

The National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), and the Digital Media Association (DiMA) have officially unveiled a settlement agreement for the Phonorecords IV proceeding, which … Continue reading "Settlement Announced For Phonorecords IV Proceeding — Streaming Services Agree to 15.35% Headline Rate For 2023-2027"

Management firm TaP Music last week confirmed that Larry Heard and Robert Owens – prominent players from the 1980s Chicago house scene and two thirds of Fingers Inc – have … Continue reading "Larry Heard and Robert Owens settle Trax Records dispute, reclaim their music rights"

A former Vanity Fair photo editor has sued Netflix over how she was portrayed in the hit series Inventing Anna. Rachel DeLoache Williams was among the real people who were … Continue reading "Inventing Anna: Rachel DeLoache Williams sues Netflix for defamation"

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has announced that the Local Radio Freedom Act is now backed by a bipartisan majority in the House of Representatives. Read More: https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2022/08/29/local-radio-freedom-act-house-support/?mc_cid=5c91bb9ef1

Paramount filed a motion on Friday to dismiss a lawsuit that claims that “Top Gun: Maverick” infringes on the copyright of the 1983 magazine article that was the source material … Continue reading "Paramount Seeks to Throw Out ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Copyright Lawsuit"

Taylor Swift has been sued yet again over allegations that she has ripped off another creator’s work. Though this time it’s not a song-theft lawsuit. Instead, writer Teresa La Dart … Continue reading "Taylor Swift’s Lover book accused of ripping off elements of earlier poetry collection"

As the leaders of the Artist Rights Alliance, Copyright Alliance, and CreativeFuture, we believe in the right of creative people to make a living through their creativity, ingenuity, and hard … Continue reading "17,000 people say the Internet Is already broken"

Kobalt Music is removing its 700,000-song catalog from Instagram and Facebook due to license expiry. The company says its music licensing agreement with Meta expired and the two parties have … Continue reading "Kobalt Music Removes All Music from Facebook, Instagram — And the Standoff Begins"

A record label has cut ties with an AI rapper after criticism it contained racial stereotypes, including repeated use of the N-word. FN Meka is an artificial intelligence musician given … Continue reading "AI rapper FN Meka dropped by Capitol over racial stereotyping"

STIM, The Swedish Performing Rights Society, is now providing YouTubers unlimited access to a broad catalog of copyright-protected ‘hit’ music. The Swedish Performing Rights Society, STIM, presents Cora Music, providing … Continue reading "Swedish Rights Collecting Society STIM Offers YouTubers Pre-Licensed ‘Hits’ for Videos"

There’s the old joke of three people interviewing for head of royalties. They’re all given the same complicated accounting problem. The first whipped out a calculator and started running numbers … Continue reading "Orleans Lawsuit Against WMG Reveals The Truth About Streaming Fees"

YouTube has officially fired back against Grammy-winning jazz composer Maria Schneider and several other parties who are suing over alleged Content ID discrimination. Read More: https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2022/08/24/youtube-response-maria-schneider-content-id-lawsuit/?mc_cid=e4d9dbd5ad

LOS ANGELES (CN) — The Writers Guild of America restored Hollywood talent firm Creative Artists Agency’s ability to represent screenwriters after agreeing Wednesday to end a nearly two-year legal battle … Continue reading "Hollywood Talent Agency Strikes Deal With Writers Guild to End Boycott"

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Michelle was paid $625,000 for her performance in All the Money in the World which earned her a Golden Globes nomination. In comparison, her costar … Continue reading "11 Actors Who Made Over $20 Million For Just One Movie, And 11 Who Were Stupidly Underpaid"

At a time when The Last Dance, Athlete A, Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist and other popular documentaries prominently feature copyrighted audiovisuals of athletes, the UFC is suing the … Continue reading "UFC Sues Documentary Production Team in Copyright Dispute"

In the wider scheme of things, ongoing litigation in relation to his unapproved use of Eddy Grant’s ‘Electric Avenue’ in a 2020 campaign video probably isn’t a major cause of … Continue reading "Eddy Grant to subpoena Donald Trump’s former Deputy Chief Of Staff in Electric Avenue campaign video dispute"

Following the recent release of her new album ‘Traumazine’, Megan Thee Stallion has ramped up her ongoing legal battle with her label 1501 Certified Entertainment, now seeking a million dollars … Continue reading "Megan Thee Stallion ramps up label dispute, demands a million dollars in damages"

ASCAP Seeks to Protect its Songwriters’ Livelihoods by Taking Legal Action Against 7 Venues Nationwide for Performing Their Musical Works Without Permission Read More: https://www.ascap.com/press/2022/08/08-23-venues-refuse-pay-songwriters

The Californian Supreme Court has ruled against Sony Music and the Michael Jackson estate in regard to a free speech question that was raised after it was alleged that three … Continue reading "Californian Supreme Court rules on free speech claims in Michael Jackson fake vocals dispute"

There’s the old joke of three people interviewing for head of royalties. They’re all given the same complicated accounting problem. The first whipped out a calculator and started running numbers … Continue reading "Orleans case sheds light on fees, fees, and more fees"

About one week after ending its pursuit of a more than billion-dollar sale, Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) has announced a round of layoffs. Team members were just recently informed of … Continue reading "BMI Announces Layoffs After Abandoning Goldman-Assisted Sales Pursuit"

The backlog in the vinyl industry since the pandemic began means that artists and some music fans are having to wait around a year to receive their records. Read More: … Continue reading "Is there a green solution to the vinyl record backlog?"

Long before Denzel Washington, Spike Lee or even Sidney Poitier, generations of pioneering and revolutionary Black US filmmakers played a key role in shaping early American cinema and dispelling pejorative … Continue reading "Academy unearths long-lost ‘race films’ in Black cinema exhibit"

Last month, stand-up star Lewis Black became the latest comedian to sue SiriusXM’s Pandora amid a broader royalties dispute. Now, evidence suggests that SiriusXM is attempting to compel different comedy … Continue reading "SiriusXM Is Now Compelling Spoken-Word Creators to Waive The ‘Rights to All Underlying Comedy Routines’"

A confluence of hard bargaining and legislative lobbying helped secure significant gains in two new agreements SAG-AFTRA reached earlier this month covering exclusivity, which are standard provisions in TV contracts … Continue reading "SAG-AFTRA’s Lobbying Efforts Helped Seal Exclusivity Deals With Netflix & AMPTP"

The green memo sent out by the production team of the programme Poldark asked that the location department use low-carbon suppliers of lighting and reusable batteries wherever possible. The request … Continue reading "How to make movies without a huge carbon footprint"

While the exact number is in dispute, in what has now become an infamous statistic, at a minimum music streaming services (“DSPs”) are ingesting tens of thousands of new tracks … Continue reading "How artists are exploiting lax metadata protections by streaming services"

In July of 2020, Grammy-winning composer Maria Schneider sued YouTube over alleged Content ID discrimination. Now, about two weeks after a judge rejected the Google-owned platform’s motion to dismiss the … Continue reading "YouTube Fights to Limit Data Disclosure in Battle with Grammy-Winning Composer Maria Schneider"

Between today’s many royalty streams and their distinct tax implications, music industry payments are more complex than ever. Now, with a new name and a multimillion-dollar Series A under its … Continue reading "A Closer Look at Trolley — The Canadian Fintech Taking Aim at Royalty Payment Complexity"

SAG-AFTRA announced on Monday evening that it has reached a tentative agreement with the major studios on actor exclusivity periods, an issue that has become a top priority for the … Continue reading "SAG-AFTRA Reaches Deal With Studios on Actors’ Exclusivity"

TikTokers used to find music primarily through dance trends. Now they’re gravitating to creators who recommend new songs. Read More: https://www.billboard.com/pro/tiktok-curators-viral-songs/#recipient_hashed=3a259dd7948fa5cf81748fd59fbfdb0cdc19448cf6f4bf505f19cde98578e9d3

A ragtag group of misfits, each with their own unique skill, bands together to pull off a high-stakes con. Depending on your preferences and streaming subscriptions, the film that comes … Continue reading "That Was My Idea! How Hollywood Is Avoiding Story Theft Claims"

Next year’s contract talks and a possible writers strike are looming large over the WGA West’s ongoing board election, in which 17 candidates are vying for eight open seats. The … Continue reading "WGA West Board Candidates Address Wide Range Of Issues Ahead Of Next Year’s Contract Talks And Possible Strike"

The long-running lawsuit over whether or not three songs that appeared on a posthumous Michael Jackson album actually featured the vocals of an impersonator has been settled. It follows the … Continue reading "Long-running lawsuit over disputed Michael Jackson vocals dismissed"

The French director, film critic and voracious cinephile Francois Truffaut once suggested a thought experiment. Imagine, he said, that there was only one copy of a book, and that copy … Continue reading "Why’d That Movie Disappear? Welcome to Streaming’s Memory Hole Era"

Inside the brazen but surprisingly simple scheme that took royalties from songs by artists like Daddy Yankee, Anuel AA, Julio Iglesias and more. Read More: https://www.billboard.com/pro/youtube-fraud-royalties-scam-irs-latin-chenel-yenddi-mediamuv-adrev/

ATLANTA (CN) — A rap battle found its way to the 11th Circuit on Tuesday, where judges heard arguments in a producer’s appeal of a ruling that he had infringed … Continue reading "Music producer challenges copyright infringement claims over hit rap song"

Taylor Swift has officially submitted sworn testimony in response to one of multiple copyright infringement lawsuits she’s faced over “Shake It Off.” The 32-year-old singer-songwriter just recently pushed back against … Continue reading "Taylor Swift Submits Sworn Testimony In Latest ‘Shake It Off’ Copyright Infringement Battle: The Lyrics ‘Were Written Entirely By Me’"

Inside the brazen but surprisingly simple scheme that took royalties from songs by artists like Daddy Yankee, Anuel AA, Julio Iglesias and more. Read More: https://www.billboard.com/pro/youtube-fraud-royalties-scam-irs-latin-chenel-yenddi-mediamuv-adrev/

SAG-AFTRA Board Approves Tentative Netflix Agreement Read More: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/sag-aftra-netflix-agreement-1235195196/

The Chairman of the musicFIRST Coalition in the US – former Congress member Joe Crowley – last week accused American radio giants iHeart and Cumulus of hypocrisy after they bigged … Continue reading "musicFIRST chair accuses US radio giants of hypocrisy"

A court in California has declined to dismiss on jurisdiction grounds Lil Yachty’s lawsuit against DIY distributor Ditto Music and its co-founder Lee Parsons. It means the litigation – in … Continue reading "Judge declines to dismiss Lil Yachty’s Ditto Music lawsuit on jurisdiction grounds"

A US judge has declined to dismiss the lawsuit being pursued by musician Maria Schneider against YouTube over who has access to the Google service’s Content ID rights management system. … Continue reading "US judge declines to dismiss Maria Schneider legal battle with YouTube over Content ID access"

While Europe is still grasping with the impact of the RAAP case, another part of the world, Australia, needs a fix too. Since the country has limited the scope of … Continue reading "Susan Cotchin (Good Neighbour Rights): ‘Australia’s decision to limit the application of Art. 15 of WIPO’s WPPT has impacted Australian artists in a big way’"

The last few years have been an incredibly gruelling time for the music industry, the effects of which will be felt for years to come. Whilst performers have been increasingly … Continue reading "Neighbouring Rights: It’s Time to Bridge the ‘Broken’ UK-Australia Performer Gap"

judge in Minnesota finally signed off earlier this week on a settlement deal in relation to Prince’s estate. The musician had not prepared a will before his untimely death in … Continue reading "Legal wrangling over Prince estate over as judge signs off on deal"

Beyoncé has received backlash on her latest album “Renaissance,” which has resulted in the removal of a sample from her song “Energy” – but not for legal reasons. Headlines such … Continue reading "Beyoncé brings all the samples to the yard and they’re like…it’s been licenced"

The death of “Batgirl” on Tuesday sent immediate shockwaves through Hollywood. The film — with a $75 million budget that grew to $90 million due to COVID-related overages — had … Continue reading "Why Warner Bros. Killed ‘Batgirl’: Inside the Decision Not to Release the DC Movie"

Talk is cheap, as they say, but Merck Mercuriadis can walk the walk. So when, in April 2019, the eloquent Hipgnosis Songs founder and CEO informed Music Week of his … Continue reading "The Music Week Interview: Merck Mercuriadis"

We haven’t heard much about it lately, but the Mechanical Licensing Collective quango is sitting on some $500,000,000 of other people’s money since they received that first $424,000,000 tranche according … Continue reading "The Federal Reserve Raises the Interest Rate for the MLC’s Black Box in Good News for Songwriters"

Megan Thee Stallion and Big Sean are the latest artists on the receiving end of a good old song-theft lawsuit, they being accused of ripping off an earlier track on … Continue reading "Megan Thee Stallion and Big Sean sued for alleged song-theft"

It’s hard to think of a more brain-deadening topic than the U.S. Copyright Royalty Board’s proceedings over the rates for music streaming. But deep in the dense legalese lies a … Continue reading "Inside the Multi-Billion Dollar Battle Royale Over Music-Streaming Royalties"

Artificial intelligence is driving the information revolution and its presence is increasingly commonplace — for example, in smart speakers, self-driving cars, social media monitoring and healthcare technology, to name but … Continue reading "An AI for art: Copyright considerations for artificial intelligence"

The Consumer Technology Association returned to Las Vegas in January for its prestigious CES technology event in person, after going online last year due to the pandemic. Considered one of … Continue reading "Duncan Crabtree-Ireland Talks Performers’ Rights in the Digital Age"

The lawsuit that accused Sam Smith and Normani of ripping off their 2019 hit ‘Dancing With A Stranger’ from an earlier song called ‘Dancing With Strangers’ is “rambling”, “repetitive” and … Continue reading "Sam Smith and Normani hit back against Dancing With A Stranger song-theft lawsuit"

The UK’s competition watchdog has found streaming has made the music industry challenging for many artists. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said more than 80% of recorded music was … Continue reading "Music industry as tough as it has always been, watchdog says"

Some people say the modern music business lacks entrepreneurial new independent record companies. Those people haven’t met Stef van Vugt. The 25-year-old Dutchman founded Strange Fruits (now Fruits Music) in … Continue reading "Strange Fruits has tens of billions of streams – but it’s not without controversy. Its 25-year-old founder speaks out."

British startup Audoo inks song detection deal with APRA AMCOS in Australia and New Zealand. Award-winning public performance royalty technology start-up Audoo has partnered with the leading Australasian performing rights … Continue reading "Audoo Inks Song Detection Deal With APRA AMCOS In Australia & New Zealand"

Remember how the physical mechanical increased from 9.1¢ to 12¢? And it applies to each record sold? If a songwriter got a cut and the artist sold 100 records, the … Continue reading "Streaming Mechanical Complexity Begets Complexity Begets Legal Fees"

This morning, we reported on the latest streaming economics story in the UK: regulator the CMA’s decision not to refer a full market investigation of the music industry. Now attention … Continue reading "US campaign for a direct artist streaming royalty steps up"

After taking several steps to regulate the role over the last few years, the performers’ union has passed a resolution to offer membership to intimacy coordinators. Read More: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/sag-aftra-to-open-union-eligibility-to-intimacy-coordinators-1235185760/

Kobalt, one of the world’s largest music publishers, has removed its entire 700,000-song catalog from Facebook and Instagram in the United States, a rep for the company confirms to Variety. … Continue reading "Kobalt Music Removes More Than 700,000 Songs From Facebook and Instagram"

Recognize the Music, described by its organizers as an initiative “to drive fairer, more accurate royalty payments” by bringing Audoo’s music identification tool to UK venues, has officially debuted. Read … Continue reading "‘Recognize the Music’ Initiative Launches to Bring Music Identification Technology to UK Venues"

Production music company Epidemic Sound has sued Meta in the US in order to, and I quote, “stop the theft of music created by hundreds of musicians, songwriters, producers and … Continue reading "Epidemic Sound sues Meta for copyright infringement"

Kobalt-owned collecting society AMRA this week confirmed it is now directly licensing the mechanical rights of its clients’ songs to streaming services in Canada. Read More: https://completemusicupdate.com/article/amra-now-directly-licensing-streaming-services-in-canada/

The last couple of years has seen the emergence of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) as an important medium for the creation, sale and collection of art, with numerous instances of big … Continue reading "NFTs and Copyright: Some Burning Issues"

The European Union’s Commissioner For The Internal Market, Thierry Breton, has issued a statement saying that, in principle, EU member states can introduce a new remuneration right for performers when … Continue reading "EU Commissioner says copyright directive implementation can include a new ER right for performers"

A new initiative in the UK is hoping to make sure public performance royalties are paid out more accurately. It’s called Recognise the Music, and is a partnership involving the … Continue reading "Recognise the Music wants more-accurate public performance payouts"

The radio industry has been dealt a setback in its effort to rework how the federal courts determine how much stations pay to ASCAP and BMI in royalty payments. U.S. … Continue reading "Federal Judge Puts Hold On RMLC’s Legal Maneuver In ASCAP And BMI Rate-Setting."

Pro Music Rights, a music licensing company, has agreed to go public through a reverse merger with Nuvus Gro. The move comes as Pro Music Rights CEO Jake Noch being … Continue reading "Pro Music Rights Going Public"

About three months after celebrating the anniversary of its fan-powered royalty model, SoundCloud has officially inked a global licensing deal with Warner Music Group. Under the pact, WMG will become … Continue reading "Warner Music Group Officially Adopts ‘Fan-Powered’ Royalty Model On SoundCloud: ‘Today’s Deal Is a Major Milestone’"

There’s a storm brewing in Hollywood’s creative community, just as the largest unions and employers are preparing to wrestle anew at the contract bargaining table. Read More: https://variety.com/2022/tv/features/ownership-cover-hollywood-tv-creatives-wga-sag-dga-1235319528/#recipient_hashed=3a259dd7948fa5cf81748fd59fbfdb0cdc19448cf6f4bf505f19cde98578e9d3

Writers and artists who create characters that power the Marvel Cinematic Universe say the company offers a labyrinthine compensation system that underpays them. Read More: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/marvel-movie-math-comic-creators-1235183158/

The UK’s Competition & Markets Authority has published a lengthy update on its study of the music streaming market. Although the study is ongoing, the competition regulator says it is … Continue reading "CMA declines to recommend a full market investigation into music streaming"

YouTube is shortening the waiting window for creators who want to dispute Content ID flags. Read More: https://www.tubefilter.com/2022/07/19/youtube-content-id-appeal-shortened/

A US judge has again rejected efforts by Spotify to stop – or at least delay – a deposition of its CEO Daniel Ek as part of an ongoing legal … Continue reading "US judge again declines to delay Daniel Ek deposition in Eminem v Spotify case"

The granddaughter of the late Jay Livingston – a prolific songwriter perhaps best known from co-writing ‘Que Sera Sera’ – has gone legal in a complicated dispute with her mother … Continue reading "Descendants of Que Sera Sera writer in dispute over rights, royalties and termination notices"

Another day, another Kanye lawsuit. And yes, that is the second time we’ve said that this week. This time Kanye West is being sued by LA-based production company Phantom Labs … Continue reading "Kanye West sued by production firm over unpaid fees"

A US judge has ruled by summary judgement that energy drink Bang is liable for copyright infringement for including Universal Music controlled tracks in its promotional videos on TikTok without … Continue reading "Court says Bang’s own TikTok videos infringed Universal’s rights, but not its influencer content"

SAG-AFTRA members have voted overwhelmingly to ratify a new Network Television Code, which generates more than $200 million a year in covered earnings for members working on nearly all non-primetime … Continue reading "SAG-AFTRA Members Overwhelmingly Ratify New $200 Million-A-Year Network Television Code"

The Oscar-winning filmmaker Jane Campion says she fears Netflix will be more “picky” about the projects it funds in the future, after the streaming giant saw subscriber numbers fall. Read … Continue reading "Jane Campion: Netflix may be more picky over projects after subscriber fall"

The European Parliament has voted through the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act which will, respectively, increase the obligations of digital platforms to deal with harmful content and conduct … Continue reading "European Parliament passes Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act"

It’s been a month since Jeff Sagansky’s fiery speech at a NATPE event proclaimed that “we are in a golden age of content production and the dark age of creative … Continue reading "Jeff Sagansky Says New Streaming Business Model “Has To Be Relegated To The Dust Bin” Now"

Music Business Worldwide sources suggest that TikTok’s deals with rightsholders are currently ‘buy-outs’ rather than ‘revenue share’ deals – i.e. the platform pays a lump sum upfront to license music … Continue reading "When will TikTok start paying the music industry ‘properly’?"

The European Parliament has officially voted in favor of the far-reaching Digital Services Act, which, among other things, will implement a number of operational requirements for ticket-resale platforms. Read More: … Continue reading "European Parliament Passes the ‘Digital Services Act’ — Sweeping Regulations For ‘Online Marketplaces’ Including Ticket-Resale Platforms"

Britney Spears’ attorney Mathew Rosengart has filed new legal papers accusing the company that formerly worked as his client’s business manager – Tri Star Sports & Entertainment Group – of … Continue reading "Britney Spears accuses former business manager of being involved in setting up conservatorship"

The American Copyright Royalty Board has upheld its previous decision regarding the top-line streaming royalty rate for songs, which increased the percentage of streaming service revenue allocated to the song … Continue reading "US Copyright Royalty Board reconfirms 15.1% streaming rate for songwriters and publishers"

A host of global independent producers attending the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival have voiced their concerns on the issue of IP retention when it comes to working with the … Continue reading "Global Indie Producers Voice Concerns Of IP Retention When Working With Streamers — KVIFF Industry Panel"

Justin Timberlake has just discovered that Hell may hath no legal fury like a documentary director scorned. The former NSYNC member is being sued in federal court by long time … Continue reading "Justin Timberlake Sued For Big Bucks In Lost Profit Sharing From Shelved ’20/20 Experience’ Documentary"

Clint Eastwood was awarded $2 million in a lawsuit accusing a CBD retailer of stealing his name and likeness to promote its products. The verdict is the second in favor … Continue reading "Clint Eastwood Wins $2M in Trademark Infringement Suit Over Fake CBD Endorsement"

One of the best ways to make money as a musician is through sync (ie: licensing). Dive into that world, however, and you’ll quickly discover there’s a vast difference between … Continue reading "What Are the Differences Between Making Sync Music and Artist Music?"

APRA AMCOS today welcomes the completion of the free trade agreement between Aotearoa New Zealand and the European Union. “This is a significant announcement for New Zealand on many fronts … Continue reading "APRA AMCOS Welcomes Aotearoa Copyright Extension – EU-NZ FTA A"

Kanye West has been sued over an allegedly uncleared sample in a track on his recent ‘Donda 2’ album. According to the publisher of the sampled song, West’s track ‘Flowers’ … Continue reading "Kanye West sued over uncleared sample on Donda 2"

The rock icon’s music assets carry a valuation of between $25-30 million, according to Billboard estimates. Read More: https://www.billboard.com/pro/frank-zappa-song-publishing-catalogs-universal-music-group-archive/#recipient_hashed=3a259dd7948fa5cf81748fd59fbfdb0cdc19448cf6f4bf505f19cde98578e9d3

That’s according to Los Angeles County Public Health Officer Barbara Ferrer, and also seemingly according to the film and TV industry’s current Return-to-Work Agreement. Read More: https://deadline.com/2022/06/los-angeles-film-tv-productions-masks-1235055066/#recipient_hashed=3a259dd7948fa5cf81748fd59fbfdb0cdc19448cf6f4bf505f19cde98578e9d3

Ricky Martin’s former talent manager has issued a stark warning to the Grammy winner and Emmy nominee: pay up or reap the whirlwind. Specifically, in “excess of USD $3,000,000, or … Continue reading "Ricky Martin Hit With $3M Unpaid Commissions Lawsuit; Ex-Manager Claims She Saved Him From “Potentially Career-Ending Allegation”"

SoundExchange is officially suing LiveOne and Slacker for allegedly failing to pay owed royalties for streams from the last five-plus years. Read More: https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2022/06/29/soundexchange-liveone-slacker-lawsuit/?mc_cid=db2761d5d3

Earlier this month, reports indicated that California lawmakers would once again consider legislation (still referred to as the FAIR Act despite a formal name change) designed to modify the controversial … Continue reading "Watered-Down ‘Fair Act’ Fails In California Senate — As Its Actor Counterpart Cruises Out of Committee"

Universal Music has been sued by the estate of photographer Chi Modu over an image of Tupac Shakur that features on a post on the major’s own editorial website uDiscoverMusic.com. … Continue reading "Universal Music sued over Tupac photo"

The Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) could be preparing to issue a major royalty-rate hike for streaming services, which are reportedly looking to delay retroactive payments for the 2018-2022 (Phonorecords III) … Continue reading "Ahead of the CRB’s Phonorecords III Determination, Are Streaming Services Preparing for a Major Rate Hike?"

The pan-European trade group for the independent music community, IMPALA, has urged European countries seeking to address concerns around fair remuneration in the digital music sector to follow the French … Continue reading "IMPALA calls for French style agreements on fair digital remuneration instead of ER"

Domino Records has issued a statement following the news earlier this week that it had reached a settlement with Four Tet ending an on going legal battle over digital royalties. … Continue reading "Domino comments on Four Tet settlement, insists no precedent set"

After two years of pandemic upheaval, one of the biggest debates in the movie industry appears to be settled. The return of the old-fashioned blockbuster — see the supersonic success … Continue reading "Europe’s Theatrical Window Standoff Gives Studios Pause Over Strategy"

Domino Records has settled its legal battle with Four Tet over what royalty rate he should be paid on streams. The label has agreed to pay a 50% royalty, which … Continue reading "Domino Records settles Four Tet dispute, commits to pay 50% royalty on digital"

Ed Sheeran and his ‘Shape Of You’ co-writers have been awarded more than £900,000 in legal costs following their win in the headline-grabbing song-theft case in the London high court … Continue reading "Ed Sheeran awarded £900,000+ costs following win in Shape Of You song-theft case"

Pioneering electronic artist Four Tet has reached a settlement in the legal battle against his former record label. The musician, whose real name is Kieran Hebden, sued Domino Records last … Continue reading "Four Tet wins royalty battle over streaming music"

Sony Music last week told the high court in London that a dispute over the rights in the Jimi Hendrix Experience recordings should be heard in the New York courts, … Continue reading "Jimi Hendrix Experience dispute should happen in New York, says Sony"

Two members of American rock band Orleans have sued Warner Music over a common gripe in the artist community: record companies allowing their foreign subsidiaries to make deductions on digital … Continue reading "Warner Music sued again over international deductions"

Belgium’s Parliament yesterday updated the country’s copyright laws to bring them in line with the 2019 European Copyright Directive and in doing so added a performer equitable remuneration right for … Continue reading "Belgium introduces ER right on streams"

Over one million music streaming subscriptions have been cancelled in the UK, with the cost of living crisis forcing households to make savings. Read More: https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-61825677

Some progress has been made on the legislative front in terms of South Africa’s journey to amend its copyright statute. On Friday last week (10 June 2022), South Africa’s Portfolio … Continue reading "Long walk to copyright reform #4: South Africa’s Parliamentary Committee approves a revised Copyright Amendment Bill"

Recently, I spoke in the PRS London Members’ Day panel about NFTs, alongside Cliff Fluet (Lewis Silkin) and Mike Walsh (Serenade). There has obviously been a considerable amount of excitement … Continue reading "Ten things to know about NFTs"

Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy built their reputations with a relationship-driven, filmmaker-friendly approach — but that style might be at odds with the imperative to save money. Read More: … Continue reading "As David Zaslav Reshapes Warner Bros., Are His New Film Execs on the Same Page?"

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge this morning set May 8, 2023 as the date the court battle between Justin Hurwitz and the Endeavor-owned talent agency and the now divested … Continue reading "WME Fraud Lawsuit From ‘La La Land’ Composer Gets 2023 Jury Trial Date – Update"

It became the speech heard around Hollywood — Jeff Sagansky’s blistering comments last week about the adverse impact the proliferation of the streaming-driven “cost plus” business model has had on … Continue reading "John Wells Says Industry “Will Have To Return To More Shared Rights Agreements” In Response To Jeff Sagansky’s Speech About Vanishing Backend – HRTS"

SCAPR – the global organisation for performer collecting societies – has a new board following an election at its General Assembly in Rome last week. Read More: https://completemusicupdate.com/article/new-board-and-chair-for-global-collecting-society-grouping-scapr/

Singer Mariah Carey is being sued for copyright infringement over her 1994 Christmas mega-hit, All I Want for Christmas is You. Songwriter Andy Stone says he co-wrote a song with … Continue reading "Mariah Carey sued for copyright over ‘All I want for Christmas is You’"

On the topic of unauthorized use of a celebrity’s image, readers might recall the IPKat post covering the high-profile Michael Jordan case in China in 2017. Regarding the monochrome red-coloured … Continue reading "After Michael Jordan: a new typical case on what is the right of likeness under the Civil Code of China"

Singer Robbie Williams has said fame “should come with a health warning” as he gears up for a homecoming gig. The star, who has had a string of hits since … Continue reading "Robbie Williams: Fame ‘intoxicating but isolating’"

Organizer Ben Speight discusses bringing production workers back into IATSE Local 839, expanding its jurisdiction beyond L.A. County for the first time and how workers today are showing they “are … Continue reading "Animation Guild Organizer Outlines Renewed Push to Build Labor Power"

Studios and streamers believe they’re saving money in the long run, but they could actually be hurting quality and the bottom line Read More: https://www.thewrap.com/hollywood-talent-compensation-streamers-analysis/

Readers may recall that the Government of Hong Kong launched a 3-month consultation on updating Hong Kong’s copyright regime on 24 November 2021. Following this consultation, the Government reported that … Continue reading "Hong Kong – Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2022 Gazetted"

While ticketing giants offer bullish forecasts for the return of concertgoers this year, indie operators who have relied on federal grants to stay afloat amid COVID-19 are more measured: “There’s … Continue reading "Live Concerts Are Back, But Small Venues Face Longer Road to Recovery"

The Scott Stuber-run division is adjusting to a new set of realities as it readies a $200 million-plus ‘The Gray Man’ from the ‘Avengers: Endgame’ helmers and a pricey set … Continue reading "Behind Netflix’s Leaner Movie Mandate: Bigger, Fewer and Better"

The Scott Stuber-run division is adjusting to a new set of realities as it readies a $200 million-plus ‘The Gray Man’ from the ‘Avengers: Endgame’ helmers and a pricey set … Continue reading "Behind Netflix’s Leaner Movie Mandate: Bigger, Fewer and Better"

Jeff Sagansky, a media investor and producer and former top entertainment executive, is sounding the alarm on the adverse impact the now prevalent “cost plus” business model has had on … Continue reading "Jeff Sagansky Slams Streaming-Driven TV Business Model: “We Are In A Golden Age Of Content Production And The Dark Age Of Creative Profit Sharing”"

The Austrian Supreme Court held that YouTube – as a host service provider – was not responsible for copyright infringements by its users as long as it was not put … Continue reading "Austrian Supreme Court finds YouTube not responsible for copyright infringements by users"

Anita Baker has publicly thanked Chance The Rapper for helping her regain control of her master recordings after spotting him in the audience at a show in Las Vegas this … Continue reading "Anita Baker thanks Chance The Rapper for helping out in her recent masters dispute"

Round Hill Music has sued the rapper B.o.B claiming that he owes them $3 million after reneging on a past royalty rights agreement. Read More: https://completemusicupdate.com/article/round-hill-sues-b-o-b-in-royalty-rights-dispute/

In a wide-ranging interview published today in the New York Times, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos has doubled down on his prior defenses of artistic freedom, backing comedians Dave Chappelle and … Continue reading "Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos Defends Dave Chappelle, Ricky Gervais Free Speech: “It Used To Be A Very Liberal Issue”"

The case highlights escalating tension between talent who stand to profit from theatrical releases and media companies seeking to draw viewers to their streaming services. Read More: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/village-roadshows-lawsuit-against-warner-bros-over-matrix-resurrections-sent-to-arbitration-1235155383/

UPDATED, 4:14 PM: A Superior Court judge in Los Angeles has ruled that Mamie Mitchell, the script supervisor who was standing next to cinematographer Halyna Hutchins when she was fatally … Continue reading "‘Rust’ Script Supervisor’s Lawsuit Can Seek Punitive Damages, Judge Rules – Update"

The Animation Guild, IATSE Local 839, and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have drawn up a tentative agreement on a new film and television contract. The deal … Continue reading "Animation Guild & AMPTP Reach Tentative Deal On Film & TV Contract"

As I posted recently (“Google’s Shameful Bullying Tactics on Display Again in CRB“), Google has once again turned its lawyers loose to run roughshod over songwriters in their latest theater … Continue reading "#StopCRBAbuse: Can Songwriters stop Big Tech from demanding your contracts and royalty earnings be handed over to them in Copyright Royalty Board?"

Last week, the European Commission sent reasoned opinions to 13 Member States (Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, Greece, France, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland and Sweden) for failure to notify … Continue reading "Commission sends reasoned opinions to 13 Member States for failure to transpose CDSM Directive into national law"

Books and magazine articles have long provided the IP Hollywood depends on, but until recently, authors played little role in the process. Now, lit agencies and publishers are changing the … Continue reading "How the Publishing World Is Muscling In on Hollywood Deals: For Authors, “The Future Is Multihyphenate”"

Books and magazine articles have long provided the IP Hollywood depends on, but until recently, authors played little role in the process. Now, lit agencies and publishers are changing the … Continue reading "How the Publishing World Is Muscling In on Hollywood Deals: For Authors, “The Future Is Multihyphenate”"

Pursuant to Title I of the Orrin G. Hatch–Bob Goodlatte Music Modernization Act, the Copyright Office has issued a supplemental interim rule updating certain reporting requirements for digital music providers. … Continue reading "U.S. Copyright Office Issues a Supplemental Interim Rule Related to the Music Modernization Act Reports of Usage and Payment"

Tyler Colon played college basketball. He won an MTV reality show. He’s tried podcasting, modeling, and acting. But in 2019, he got serious about pursuing music. Read More: https://www.npr.org/2022/05/22/1080632810/tiktok-music-industry-gayle-abcdefu-sia-tai-verdes-celine-dion?t=1654534934706

From Blockchain to Web 3.0 and DAOs, there are a lot of new buzzwords out there — and plenty of skepticism — but supporters say these new technologies can make … Continue reading "Cannes: Is the Film Industry Really Ready to Embrace NFTs?"

Last year, the Financial Times captured an amazing detail in its profile of Lucian Grainge, the CEO of Universal Music Group. The story closed with Grainge on the Zoom call … Continue reading "The Unheard Battle Over Social Media Licensing"

File this under News from the Goolag. In case you had any illusions that Google has fully lost whatever shred of human decency they may have had, we just got … Continue reading "Google’s Shameful Bullying Tactics on Display Again in Copyright Royalty Board"

The Ninth Circuit appeals court in the US last week ruled that Toni Basil is the sole owner of the recording copyright in her hit song ‘Mickey’ as part of … Continue reading "US court says Toni Basil is sole owner of Mickey masters"

A US court last week awarded Alan Parsons nearly $5 million in damages as part of a dispute with his former manager, John Regna of World Entertainment Associates Of America. … Continue reading "Alan Parsons awarded nearly $5 million in dispute with former manager"

Various organisations representing French artists, performers and labels have welcomed an agreement finalised last week regarding the sharing of streaming monies. Read More: https://completemusicupdate.com/article/french-performer-and-label-groups-reach-voluntary-agreement-regarding-digital-remuneration/

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) followed up on his attack on Disney last week with an op-ed on FoxNews.com in which he argued that corporations were attacking American values by weighing … Continue reading "Josh Hawley And Other Republicans Want To End Special “Handouts” To Disney And Other Corporations, But As Punishment Not Policy (Analysis)"

The streamer’s financial woes have inspired schadenfreude from its competitors and even some of its own showrunners. Here’s where the ill will comes from—and what insiders say the streamer must … Continue reading "Netflix Stumbles and Hollywood Gloats: “The Days of the Blank Check Are Over”"

Against a backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the last two years have placed a renewed focus on many of the recorded music market’s glaring dysfunctions. Read More: https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/what-is-currently-an-opaque-black-box-of-song-royalties-needs-to-be-transformed-into-a-glass-box/

In its landmark 1994 decision Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc., 510 U.S. 569 (1994), the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruled that Campbell’s creation of a rap parody version of a popular … Continue reading "Andy Warhol Foundation v. Goldsmith: The Supreme Court Revisits Transformative Fair Uses"

Concert promotion giant Live Nation should be broken up, according to New Jersey Democratic Congressman Bill Pascrell, who claims its safety record is disturbing. Pascrell cited the recent attack on … Continue reading "Live Nation Should Be Broken Up, Says New Jersey Congressman, Citing Safety Record"

The WGA is gearing up for a showdown with the major companies next year. In his annual report, WGA East executive director Lowell Peterson told his members that the WGA … Continue reading "WGA East Executive Director Lowell Peterson Sets Stage For Showdown With Studios Next Year"

A plethora of organisations from across the US music industry have welcomed a new proposed settlement regarding the mechanical royalty rate paid on discs and downloads Stateside, after an initial … Continue reading "New inflation matching settlement on US disc and download song royalty rate welcomed"

Major label and publishing conglomerates Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group, as well as other publishers represented by the NMPA, have tentatively agreed to increase mechanical … Continue reading "SGA, SCL & MCNA ‘Extremely Pleased’ With Mechanical Royalty Rate Increase Decision In the US — Here’s Their Statement"

Verifi Media recently announced the launch of the Verifi Rights Data Alliance (“VRDA”), with partnerships in place with Warner Music Group, Warner Chappell, FUGA, Unison Rights and Deezer. Together, these … Continue reading "‘If the music industry wants to continue its exponential growth, its data backbone needs to become significantly more efficient.’"

TikTok wants to keep its massive influx of new users. It has announced plans to share ad revenue with creators. Read More: https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2022/05/05/tiktok-share-ad-revenue-creators/?mc_cid=26099a340b&mc_eid=6746066f83

The ticketing giant recorded first quarter revenue of $1.8 billion, up from $290 million in the year-earlier quarter impacted by COVID-19. Read More: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/live-nation-revenue-soars-as-concert-ticket-sales-recover-1235141653/

A Spotify playlist study has found that the Big Three labels (UMG, Warner, Sony) benefit most from curated playlists. In many cases, they practically control them. Consultancy firm Music Tomorrow … Continue reading "A New Study Confirms the Obvious: Major Labels Control Spotify Playlists"

Kanye West has been sued by a Texas-based pastor who claims that a track on the rapper’s ‘Donda’ album samples one of his sermons without licence. That copyright infringement, the … Continue reading "Kanye West sued over sermon sample on Donda"

More than a decade after U.S. lawmakers scuttled the controversial SOPA legislation that would’ve required ISPs to block pirate sites, a US court has demonstrated that the ability to block … Continue reading "US Court Orders Every ISP in the United States to Block Illegal Streaming Sites"

Endeavor’s Ari Emanuel is in (to the tune of $300 million) and Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav returns in THR’s annual look at executive compensation. Read More: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/hollywood-ceo-pay-the-year-of-the-nine-figure-club-1235136814/

Endeavor’s Ari Emanuel is in (to the tune of $300 million) and Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav returns in THR’s annual look at executive compensation. Read More: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/hollywood-ceo-pay-the-year-of-the-nine-figure-club-1235136814/

As rivals toggle between schadenfreude and fear, top creators and insiders are increasingly becoming vocal about what’s gone wrong with the streaming giant’s culture. Read More: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/netflixs-big-wake-up-call-the-power-clash-behind-the-crash-1235136004/

A white paper says the government will move ahead with plans for a sale of Channel 4 and promises “a new golden age of programming” for TV and radio lovers … Continue reading "U.K. Eyes Regulation of Streaming Services, Protections for “Distinctly British” Content"

The songwriters who have accused Chris Brown and Drake of ripping off one of their tracks on the 2019 hit ‘No Guidance’ have dismissed their legal claims against the latter, … Continue reading "Drake dismissed from song-theft lawsuit over his Chris Brown collab"

The Court of Justice has officially upheld Article 17 of the controversial EU Copyright Directive, which makes certain “online content-sharing service providers” (as opposed to users) liable for the unauthorized … Continue reading "European Union High Court Upholds Article 17 of Controversial Copyright Directive — Music Industry Organizations React"

As The IPKat reported earlier today, nearly 3 years after the Republic of Poland lodged its action (C-401/19) against the European Parliament and the Council requesting that the Court of … Continue reading "Article 17 of the DSM Directive is valid: an early take on today’s Grand Chamber ruling"