The alliance was formed and the press release written even before today’s ruling. That’s how important fighting today’s Department of Justice ruling is to BMI and ASCAP.
ASCAP and BMI have joined forces to fight today’s Department of Justice’s interpretation of their respective consent decrees which now mandates 100% licensing. Both PROs say that the ruling will cause unnecessary chaos in the marketplace and place unfair financial burdens and creative constraints on their 1 million songwriters, composers and publishers. BMI will pursue litigation and ASCAP will focus on legislative reform.
BMI Announces Legal Action
BMI today announced it is taking legal action and has initiated the process to challenge 100% licensing in Federal Court. In a pre-motion letter to Federal Judge Louis Stanton, BMI advised him of a proposed motion to interpret and potentially modify its consent decree. Specifically, the letter requests the following relief:
- Determination that BMI’s consent decree allows for the long-standing industry practice of fractional licensing, or,
- Alternatively, an order by the court modifying the decree to allow for fractional licensing;
- A reasonable transaction period after a final ruling, if compliance with the DOJ’s interpretation is required.
- The full copy of BMI’s pre-motion letter can be found HERE.
ASCAP To Push For Legislative Reform
Concurrently, ASCAP announced that it will take the lead for the two PROs in pursuing a legislative solution to ensure the continued availability of fractional licensing as well as other remedies to the outdated consent decree regulations that disadvantage songwriters and composers in the digital age. In its recent public statement, the DOJ itself called for potential legislative relief.
Statements From The PROs
• Mike O’Neill, President and CEO of BMI, said, “The DOJ’s interpretation of our consent decree serves no one, not the marketplace, the music publishers, the music users, and most importantly, not our songwriters and composers who now have the government weighing in on their creative and financial decisions. Unlike the DOJ, we believe that our consent decree permits fractional licensing, a practice that encourages competition in our industry and fosters creativity and collaboration among music creators, a factor the DOJ completely dismissed. As a result, we have no recourse other than to fight the DOJ’s interpretation in court. It won’t be easy, and we know it will take time, but we believe that it is the right thing to do and in the best interest of the industry at large.”
• Elizabeth Matthews, ASCAP CEO, stated: “The DOJ decision puts the U.S. completely out of step with the entire global music marketplace, denies American music creators their rights, and potentially disrupts the flow of music without any benefit to the public. That is why ASCAP will work with our allies in Congress, BMI and leaders within the music industry to explore legislative solutions to challenge the DOJ’s 100% licensing decision and enact the modifications that will protect songwriters, composers and the music we all love.”
MORE: Department Of Justice Issues Feared Official Ruling Requiring 100% “Full-Works Licensing”