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Publication

Fans’ Embrace of Streaming Sustained Music During a Tumultuous Year. Why, and What Does it Mean for 2021

"The full-fledged consumer embrace of streaming helped avert a total collapse of the music business," writes DiMA President & CEO Garrett Levine in Music Business Worldwide

January 05, 2021

The music business in 2020 experienced an unprecedented cacophony of events. Live music businesses tragically shuttered. A virtual performance market emerging. Yet despite it all, music lived on through streaming as it continued to be embraced by nearly every American with an Internet connection, even in the face of a global health crisis and massive economic disruption.

This is not the only 2020 storyline in music, but it is certainly one of the more hopeful: the full-fledged consumer embrace of streaming helped avert a total collapse of the music business. As one analyst put it: “streaming remains resilient,” with “music industry revenues [holding up] relatively well compared to other industries during the COVID-19 pandemic. The growth of digital streaming has allowed consumers to access and enjoy music regardless of social distancing restrictions.” …

The 2020 music streaming service is your record store, jukebox, speaker, FM radio station, mp3 collection, MTV, set of liner notes and smart music friend all wrapped together in one captivating experience. And critically, streaming services allow you to access all of that without leaving your home—a vitally important characteristic over the past year…

More than ever, I have grown to appreciate just how connected successes and failures are. Music’s resilience is impressive but not infallible.

We should be wary of rhetoric that essentially suggests burning the village in order to save it, or of proposals that ignore how the fundamental complexity of the business — including the balance of payouts to different rightsholders — contributes to the current economics for creators. Any honest reckoning of our business must examine what happens to the 69 cents of every dollar that digital music services pay to record companies, music publishers, and PROs.

For all of us who are part of the community supporting this artform that helped sustain us through this challenging year, our posture should be one of finding solutions and forging partnerships. That is ultimately the approach that resuscitated the music business from a decade-long decline, produced the durable foundation that helped sustain our community through this tumultuous time, and is one reason for continued optimism in the new year.

Read the full Music Business Worldwide op-ed from DiMA President & CEO Garrett Levine here

Digital Streaming, Innovation, Live Music, Music, Music Industry, Royalties
Publication

New music legislation set to boost artist royalties, and may give independents a more fair shake

CNBC
Isabel Soisson

December 02, 2018

After years of being overlooked by the music industry’s rapid adoption of streaming and bigger royalties, independent artists may finally see a bigger slice of the pie, thanks to a new laws that govern digital music and royalty payments.

Independent Artists, Music Industry, Music Modernization Act, Royalties
Publication

Brewery ensures local songwriters get royalties for their original music

Hometown Life
Sharon Dargay

November 14, 2018

“What I say is we’re the originator of live music here in South Lyon,” Robinson said. “We pay the licenses. We are trying to set a standard here. No bad blood or ill will to anybody else, but you know what? We’re paying. I’m trying to do the right thing. We pay more in music (license fees) now than we pay in excise taxes for alcohol. So we pay about $2,000 a year to BMI, ASCAP and SESAC. That’s more than we pay in alcohol tax.”

ASCAP/BMI, Consent Decree, Licensing, Royalties
Publication

The Trump Administration Shouldn’t Help Big Music Rob Songwriters

Red State
Seton Motley

October 30, 2018

Whenever the issue of songwriting royalties arises, the most common reaction is “Wait a second – the federal government sets music royalty rates?”

ASCAP/BMI, Consent Decree, Royalties, Songwriters
Publication

Lawmakers Introduce Music Modernization Act, Which Simplifies Digital Licensing and Increases Rates

Variety
Jem Aswad

December 21, 2017

The bill reforms Section 115 of the U.S. Copyright Act to create a single licensing entity that administers the mechanical reproduction rights for all digital uses of musical compositions, such those used in interactive streaming models offered by Apple, Spotify, Amazon, Pandora, Google and others, according to a release from the National Music Publisher Association.

Congress, Licensing, Music Modernization Act, Royalties
Op-Ed

Rep. Darrell Issa: It’s Time to Bring Pre-1972 Copyrights Out of the Dark Ages (Guest Column)

Variety
Darrell Issa

August 17, 2017

Under the current system, there is no way for a recording artist to be guaranteed payment in all 50 states. Instead, they are captive to a patchwork of inconsistent and ultimately unworkable state laws – denying them millions in royalties for their older songs.

Congress, Copyright, Pre-72, Royalties
Publication

How Congress can right a wrong for music released before 1972

Medium
Glenn Peoples

July 20, 2017

Nearly all spins of pre-1972 recordings receive royalties from Pandora. But the just-introduced CLASSICS Act would provide equality for all recordings at all music services.

Congress, Music Industry, Pre-73, Royalties
Publication

Pandora now supports paying artists for older songs

Tennessean
Nate Rau

April 06, 2017

Long viewed as somewhat of an antagonist to record labels, digital music service Pandora has found common ground with them on policy issues in recent months.

Artists, Pandora, Pre-72, Royalties
Publication

Pandora now supports paying artists for older songs

Tennessean
Nate Rau

April 06, 2017

Pandora announced last year that it supports paying artists of pre-1972 songs their digital royalties and has made closing the loophole one of its 2017 policy priorities.

Artists, Pandora, Pre-72, Royalties
Publication

NY High Court Axes Pre-1972 Song Case Against Sirius

Law 360
Bill Donahue

December 02, 2016

New York’s highest appeals court ruled Tuesday that radio companies like SiriusXM need not pay to play so-called pre-1972 recordings over the air, a huge reversal in a years-long effort by record labels and artists to win new royalties from the old tracks.

Artists, Pre-72, Record Labels, Royalties

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