Major creative organizations have banded together in support of the Copyright Directive and Article 13. After seemingly hitting a brick wall several months ago, the Copyright Directive – which includes the controversial Article 13 measure – cleared ano…
Category archives: Politics
The Copyright Directive Clears Another Major Legal Hurdle in the EU
Bad news for Article 13 critics – the Copyright Directive keeps gaining traction in Europe. While indie artists were busy fighting labels and publishers in Europe, France and Germany seemingly saved the Copyright Directive. After hitting a brick wall i…
Local Radio Freedom Act Now Has Bipartisan Support in Congress, But Can It Survive Fierce Opposition?
Will musicFIRST once again manage to shut down a new broadcast radio bill? Lawmakers from both sides have backed a new bill aiming to limit the royalties radio stations have to pay. This comes after years of legislative failure to ensure the bill’s ap…
Battle of the Venezuela Festivals: Richard Branson’s “Venezuela Aid Live” vs. Nicolas Maduro’s “Hands Off Venezuela”
Shortly after Richard Branson announced his Venezuela Live Aid concert, Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro says he’ll be hosting one of his own. The government of Maduro announced yesterday that it would host its own rival concert in Cucuta on Venezue…
European Commission Lambastes Copyright Directive Critics – Then Deletes the Post
Did Google/YouTube and Facebook manage to humiliate the European Commission? Amidst major infighting between artists, labels, and publishers over the Copyright Directive, a surprising event took place. Last week, the European Commission and the Europea…
R.E.M. Forces the Removal of a Pro-Trump Video Meme on Twitter — Including the President’s Retweet
R.E.M. riled up a bunch of Trump trolls on social media this weekend. The band took issue with its music being used in a meme video. But unlike many other protests from prominent artists, R.E.M. (and their reps at Universal Music Group) actually got t…
Georgia Wants to Impose Taxes on Streaming Services and Digital Purchases
Like Chicago before it, Georgia wants to cash in with a serious tax on streaming services and digital purchases. Several years ago, in an attempt to cash in on the growing consumption of streaming technology, the city of Chicago passed a controversial …
UN Issues Volume Guidelines for Audio Devices – Warns That 1.1 Billion People Are at Risk
According to the United Nations and the World Health Organization, more than 900 million people may suffer from hearing loss by 2050. The United Nations (UN) has issued a new report. Unveiling new guidelines to address the problem, more than a billion …
Spotify, Deezer Demand ‘Fairness In the Platform Economy’ from European Lawmakers
Spotify and Deezer continue to flex their digital music muscle in the EU political arena. A little over a year ago, major streaming music services teamed up in Europe. Spotify, Deezer, and SoundCloud, among other music streamers, launched a new digital…
SoundCloud Is Getting Blocked In India – But Why?
Apparently, SoundCloud provides services deemed unethical by Indian ISPs. A little over three months ago, the Indian government started cracking down on websites it deems ‘unethical.’ Users found the government had blocked almost a thousand pornographi…