Graham Warns DOJ Not To ‘Disrupt’ Music Market With ASCAP-BMI Changes

The new chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee is sending a clear signal to the Dept. of Justice not to throw the music marketplace into chaos with proposed changes to the consent decrees governing ASCAP and BMI. Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim, who heads the Antitrust Division, has backed a “smooth transition” toward a “market-based” framework. That could have implications for how much radio ultimately pays to songwriters for music use.