Despite heavy pressure from the NMPA and songwriters, SESAC and its owner, Blackstone Group, and doubling down on their MMA protest. Last week, SESAC and its parent company, Blackstone Group, issued a sharp counter-proposal to the Music Modernization A…
Category archives: Legislative
The Music Modernization Act Is In Serious Trouble — And I’m Not Surprised
And just like that, the Music Modernization Act (MMA) has gone from sure-fire winner to a bill in trouble. So who’s fault is that? Just a few months ago, the Music Modernization Act (MMA) was unstoppable and dashing towards the finish line. A 4…
U.S. Senate Proposes Sending Emergency Alerts Through Streaming Services
Users of music streaming services such as Spotify, Amazon Music, and Apple Music could soon find something different on their playlists. The US Senate is currently weighing a bill that would allow the government to send emergency alerts through popular…
The FCC Wants to Charge Americans $225 to Issue Complaints
Want to complain to the FCC about an ISP, cable company, or wireless provider? Now, Americans have three options: cash, check, or credit. After an embarrassingly inept ‘public commenting’ disaster, the U.S. Federal Communications Commissio…
A ‘Hijacking of the Process’: Impala, CISAC, PRS, SACEM React to the Article 13 Defeat
The EU Parliament’s decision against passing Article 13 and the broader Copyright Directive is a big blow. But it ain’t over yet… at least according to some of the music industry’s top organizations. While Americans were grilli…
Comcast Is Already Throttling Mobile Video Unless Subscribers Pay More
If you’re a Comcast subscriber and you use the company’s Xfinity Mobile service, you may have recently gotten some unwelcome news in your inbox. The communications giant has decided to throttle video and mobile hotspot speeds for customers …
32,000+ Songwriters & Authors Urge European Parliament to Pass Article 13
Earlier, we reported that nearly 150 organizations corralled by Impala urged European Parliamentarians to support Article 13. Now, songwriters in Europe are doing the same. Actually, songwriters are being joined by a far greater class of authors and c…
James Blunt Weighs In on Article 13: ‘We Desperately Need This Fixed’
Is this the tipping point? Just ahead of the weekend, James Blunt threw his considerable weight behind Article 13. He’s now one of several superstars speaking out. Superstar musicians usually keep quiet when it comes to touchy issues like piracy…
Breaking: Senate Judiciary Approves the Music Modernization Act — With Significant Changes
The Senate Judiciary Committee has just approved a markup of the Music Modernization Act, one that steps up transparency over the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC). That is, among many, many other changes. The Music Modernization Act (MMA) just go…
84 European Music & Media Organizations Declare Their Support for Article 13
The European music industry is now rallying for the passage of Article 13 and the EU’s broader Copyright Directive. But Article 13 has just as many opponents — including heavily-funded tech giants like Google. Just last week, the European Union&…