Major music publishers like Sony/ATV continue to battle questions over their proposal to lead the Mechanical Licensing Collective, or MLC. Earlier this week, the highly-influential Recording Academy also withheld its support for the NMPA’s MLC bid, tha…
Category archives: Legislative
50,000-Member Strong ESCA Endorses the AMLC; Slams the NMPA’s MLC Bid as a ‘Major Conflict of Interest’
Members of the 50,000-strong European Songwriter & Composer Alliance (ESCA) have solidly thrown their weight behind the American Mechanical Licensing Collection (AMLC) in its bid to lead the MLC. The influential European Songwriter & Composer A…
The Recording Academy Tentatively Sides With the NMPA’s MLC — Subject to ‘Black Box’ Collection Changes
After initially withholding its endorsement, the Recording Academy has now tentatively sided with the major music publishers’ MLC bid. Initially, the Recording Academy’s hesitation to support the major music publishers’ bid to lead the Mechanical Licen…
Thousands of Indie Songwriters Rally Against Major Music Publishers’ ‘Industry Consensus’ MLC
Thousands of indie songwriters are now speaking out against major music publishers like Sony/ATV, Warner/Chappell, and Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) over a questionable ‘black box’ collection scheme. As the U.S. Copyright Office mulls over co…
The Recording Academy Withholds Endorsement of the ‘Industry Standard’ MLC Pending Further Review
The Recording Academy has declined to lend its endorsement to an MLC bid from major publishers like Sony/ATV, UMPG, and Warner/Chappell. The following is a developing story; please check back for continued updates. Last update: Monday, 3:00 pm PT. Ins…
Founding SONA Member, Top Composer Breaks Ranks to Support the AMLC — Here’s Her Statement
‘Who will be chosen to collect and distribute billions of dollars in digital mechanical royalties?’ The following comes from Hélène Muddiman, an award-winning film/tv composer and founding member of influential songwriting group Songwriters of North Am…
TikTok Banned In India — Apple, Google Quickly Rip Down the App
Why is TikTok getting deleted by India? After child safety concerns were raised, Indian officials have swiftly taken action against TikTok. As of early this morning, TikTok has disappeared from the Google and Apple app stores in India following a ban …
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek Says He Won’t Raise the $10/Month Price Point — Tough Luck, Songwriters?
Spotify has a lot of reasons for refusing to pay increased royalties to songwriters. But this is easily the biggest one. In its formal filing with the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., Spotify outlined a number of reasons for refusing to pay …
AMLC Songwriters Blast Major Music Publishers Over Wrongful Royalty Claims — Here’s Their Statement
Once the MMA goes into effect, where will the $1.2 billion in ‘black box’ royalties go? The answer to that question depends on who ends up taking the mantle of the Mechanical Licensing Collective, or MLC, a government-mandated agency that forms a criti…
Major Publishers Request $26-48 Million Just to Start the MLC — With Annual Operating Costs Approaching $40 Million
Last week, two competing groups filed paperwork to run the Mechanical Licensing Collective, or MLC. Now, we’re learning more about what those proposals contain. How much does it cost to start and run a streaming mechanical licensing agency? According …