In this Business Of Indie update, CD Baby is sold to Downtown Music, indie publisher Mojo expands its catalog, Spinnin’ Records turns 20, zines make a comeback and so much more. Like Hypebot’s More News section, The Business Of Indie is nestled under its own Indie tab at the top…
Category archives: Music Publishing
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 …
BMG’s 2018 Revenues Jump 7.5% to $613 Million — And It’s All ‘Organic’
Parent company Bertelsmann has released 2018 financial results for BMG. The financial report notes that 2018 finally marks a shift from growth through acquisitions to ‘organic growth’ for the music subsidiary. BMG pointed to heavy growth in its record…
In an Effort to Curb Potentially Costly Damages, Peloton Removes Key Workout Classes
Facing a multi-million-dollar lawsuit, will Peloton’s recent move satisfy music publishers, helping the fitness company lower costly damages? Peloton isn’t going through a great time right now. Currently, the fitness technology company faces a massive …
Are You Ready for the Future of Rights Management?
Three keys to 21st century rights management success. The following comes from Michael Simon, President and CEO of Rumblefish and the Harry Fox Agency, Inc. (HFA), both proud partners of Digital Music News. Working in the music industry isn’t for the f…
Neighboring Rights: What They Are, Why They’re Important
The concept of neighboring rights parallels that of performance rights. Where performance rights reference the right to perform a composition, neighboring rights reference the ability to publicly perform the sound recording. So, why are these neighboring rights so important to artists and independent labels? _____________________________ Guest post by Randi Zimmerman…
Warner/Chappell Vows to Defeat Spotify’s CRB Appeal — Here’s Their Open Letter to the Industry
Warner/Chappell has lent its support against Spotify’s decision to appeal the CRB songwriter royalty increase. Last month, in a split decision, the U.S. Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) ruled in favor of a 44% songwriter royalty increase on streaming musi…
Concord Music Publishing Announces a US Sub-Publishing Deal with Because Editions
Concord Music Publishing has announced a new sub-publishing deal with Because Editions. Concord will now represent the Paris-based independent publisher’s catalog in the United States. Concord has administered BE’s catalog since 2013 in the UK — so it …
MelodyVR Inks Usage Deals With Universal Music Group Publishing, ASCAP, BMI, SACEM
As music-related VR sets sail, four very important publishing groups are on board. At this early stage, music-related VR is mostly about unknowns. For starters, it’s nearly impossible to predict how this format will emerge and interact with existing m…
NMPA President Accuses Spotify of ‘Black and White Falsehoods,’ ‘Misleading Spin,’ and ‘Deceiving Songwriters’
Yesterday, Spotify issued a statement clarifying why it appealed the Copyright Royalty Board’s songwriter royalty increase. That prompted a point-by-point, furious response from the president of the National Music Publishers’ Association. The retort w…