Pandora|Policy

SiriusXM + Pandora Join NIVA, Music Industry Leaders in Urging Congress to Support The RESTART Act

SiriusXM + Pandora joined the National Independent Venue Association and US music industry leaders in a letter urging Congress to support the RESTART Act, which would tailor PPP to work for shuttered businesses that have no revenue, high overhead and no clear timeline for reopening in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Independent music venues are still effectively shuttered and with zero revenue and the overwhelming overhead of rent, mortgage, utilities, taxes, and insurance, 90% of independent venues report that if the shutdown lasts six months and there’s no federal assistance, they will never reopen again.

Read the Full Letter Here

 

Publication

How a new law aimed at streaming music brought the industry and Congress together

CBS News
Common Ground

In Washington, the Music Modernization Act aims to help by streamlining music licensing and closing a loophole in copyright law so it better fits the digital era. President Trump signed the landmark bill in October 2018, after it passed unanimously in both the House and the Senate.

Publication

Moving Forward with the Copyright Office

Library of Congress
Karyn A. Temple

It is an honor and pleasure to reintroduce myself to you as the United States Register of Copyrights. As the Supreme Court has said, copyright is intended to be the “engine of free expression.” The copyright system provides a critical framework to support creativity, culture, innovation and, yes, “free expression,” to the benefit of the public. The U.S. Copyright Office stands directly in the center of this crucial legal framework as the principal federal entity charged with administering the nation’s copyright law and supporting the vibrancy of American creativity and culture.

Publication

Congress Announces Recording Arts and Sciences Caucus Members

Billboard
Colin Stutz

Members for the new Congress’ Recording Arts and Sciences Caucus were announced on Thursday (March 14), including chairs House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). The bi-partisan caucus was established in 2005 and works with members of the music industry to understand sector economic and cultural impact on legislation.

Publication

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

Inside Radio
Inside Radio

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.

Publication

Music Modernization Act Brings Music Licensing Scheme into the Modern Age

JD Supra
Morgan Lewis

The Hatch-Goodlatte Music Modernization Act was signed into law on October 11, 2018. The act has been termed a music industry peace treaty of sorts, as it is designed to address years of issues and compromise between music streaming technology companies, such as Spotify, and artists and record labels.

Publication

Year in Music 2018: Making the Music Modernization Act Happen

Nashville Scene
Marissa Ross

In today’s fraught political environment, it’s hard to imagine a consensus on anything — let alone on an arts-related bill that ended up being signed into law by none other than consumer-of-all-joy Donald Trump. But that’s what happened with the federal Music Modernization Act.

Publication

Music Industry Reform Shows Congress Can Still Do Its Job

Real Clear Policy
Christian Thrailkill

On October 11, songwriters across America scored a huge win as President Trump signed the Music Modernization Act into law. This bill passed the House and Senate unanimously, underscoring the severe need for this law to correct imbalances afflicting the music industry in the streaming age. The MMA will provide individual songwriters protection from the predatory practices and crony capitalism that have created a large imbalance in pay rates. The most powerful tool to fight against abusive practices by groups like ASCAP and BMI is congressional oversight over what are known as “consent decrees.”

Publication

The Consent Decrees are at it Again!

R Street
Sasha Moss

For the first time in nearly three years, music licensing has become a hot topic in Washington, D.C. Last time I wrote extensively on the subject was in “Transparency in Music Licensing and the Statutory Remedy Problem,” a paper responding to the controversy surrounding two District Court consent decrees involving Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) and the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), two major performance-rights organizations (PROs)

Publication

Songwriter Groups Reach Compromise With SESAC, Harry Fox Over Music Modernization Act

Billboard
Ed Christman

The vicious infighting between SESAC/Harry Fox Agency owner Blackstone on one side and two songwriter organizations on the other has ended with a compromise that sees the performance rights organization now giving unconditional support for the Music Modernization Act.