One of the biggest challenges confronting the music industry is simple recognition. If a song is played, is it actually recognized, processed, and paid? In the U.S., that’s a serious question on the streaming side, where some estimates peg unrecognize…
Category archives: Music Publishing
But Wait: Sony/ATV+EMI Faces a Very Tough Regulatory Hurdle, Indies Warn
Sony/ATV + EMI Music Publishing = Slam Dunk? Not so fast, says European indie consortium Impala. Sony/ATV Music Publishing’s ambitious move to acquire a controlling interest in EMI Music Publishing could face a giant regulatory hurdle. And lead…
The Indie Music Publishing Summit Is Definitely a Thing — Here’s Who’s Attending
AIMP’s Indie Music Publishing Summit is now a bonafide series. It looks like the Association of Indie Music Publishers (AIMP) is rapidly filling seats at its recently-hatched Indie Music Publishing Summit. The shindig, now in its second yea…
Spotify Is About to Receive a Giant Gift from Congress. Which Might Explain Their Latest Acquisition.
The Music Modernization Act (MMA) will forgive Spotify for years of bad behavior. Ahead of its passage, the company is already moving forward with some post-MMA acquisition plans. Spotify’s ‘non-IPO’ came with a lot of complex p…
Yes, BMG’s Revenues Are Up 21% to $629 Million. And That’s Good News for Everyone.
BMG’s handsome $629 million in 2017 revenue is part of a broader rising of the tide. We’ve been beaten up in the past for reporting a lot of bad news. But up until recently, the music industry wasn’t such a pretty place. A…
Beware Songwriters: The Music Modernization Act Sets the Stage for a Brutal Songwriter-Publisher Tug-Of-War
The Music Modernization Act is setting the stage for a brutal tug-of-war over tens of millions of dollars between individual songwriters and their publishers. H.R. 4706, also known as the Music Modernization Act, provides many benefits and updates to t…
The US Government Is Forcing Streaming Services to Pay Songwriters 43.8% More
A new ruling from the US Government requires that streaming music services raise their royalty rates for songwriters and music publishers. Here are the details. The United States Copyright Board (CRB) held hearings from March to June of 2017 to deter…
Here’s the Entire Facebook Contract for Music Publishers & Songwriters
If you’re an indie publisher or songwriter, you’re probably going to hate Facebook’s music publishing contract. So far, we’ve been covering a string of licensing deals between Facebook and music industry rights owners. That inc…
‘Music Modernization Act’ Page 38: Artists Forfeit ALL Unclaimed Royalties After 3 Years
Major publishers and streaming services love the bill. But is the ‘Music Modernization Act’ screwing the rest of the music industry? It’s been praised as a long overdue piece of royalty legislation, and a fix for years of angry litig…
Facebook Just Signed a Deal With the Largest Music Publisher In the World
Universal Music Group inked the first deal with Facebook. Now, it’s Sony/ATV’s turn. Facebook’s music ambitions are rapidly taking shape, thanks to a pair of momentous deals. Late last year, the social network finalized a groundbrea…