Several free-market-focused lobbying groups and organization have asked the Department of Justice to keep consent decrees that regulate ASCAP and BMI. The coalition of organizations and lobbying groups feel the age-old regulations are required to addre…
Category archives: Regulatory
UK Competition Watchdog Expresses Serious Concerns Over Live Nation’s MCD Acquisition
Live Nation recently received approval from Irish regulators to purchase MCD Productions, a Dublin-based concert-promotion company. Accordingly, the deal seemed set to go off without a hitch—until recently, that is, when U.K. watchdogs indicated that t…
UK Competition Watchdog Aims to Have Viagogo Found in Contempt
Earlier this week, and in a surprise ruling, the Council of State ordered the Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) to return a €1 million ($1.1 million) fine to Viagogo. The London-based secondary ticketing platform had vehemently denied it remains leg…
Burning Man Resists U.S. Government Demands to Search All Attendees
The 2019 Burning Man festival is nearly two months away — and it’s already making news. This time, the focus is on renewed efforts by the U.S. government to clamp down on the open, largely unregulated gathering. Just this week, organizers of the event …
Chinese Regulators Crack Down on Music and Audio Apps — Including NetEase Cloud Music
The Chinese government is targeting music and audio apps like never before — starting with the ultra-popular NetEase. China’s leading internet-regulation body, the Cyber Administration of China (CAC), is taking steps to reign in the content — and typ…
YouTube Is Under Federal Investigation Over Violations In Child Privacy Laws
The U.S. government is now investigating YouTube for over alleged violations of children’s privacy laws, it was recently revealed. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is apparently spearheading the effort. The existence of the investigation was first re…
Spotify Is Under Investigation by Swedish Authorities for GDPR Violations
With GDPR laws in place, many tech companies are running afoul of privacy groups and data authorities. Case in point: a Swedish data authority has opened an investigation into Spotify’s handling of consumer’s rights to access their data. The GDPR’s rig…
U.S. Department of Justice Opens a Formal Inquiry Into ASCAP & BMI Consent Decrees
The DOJ is now taking a look at 1940s-era regulations that heavily restrict music publishers and songwriters. The U.S. Department of Justice is now taking a formal look into consent decrees that dictate pricing and other practices for public performanc…
Apple Faces Antitrust Regulation In The Netherlands Over App Store Dominance
Last month Apple launched more than five new subscriptions for its first-party services. Now, the company is facing a Dutch anti-trust investigation. The investigation will look into whether Apple favors its own apps over those of third-party developer…
Spotify, Pandora, Amazon, Google Unilaterally Challenge the CRB’s 44% Songwriter Royalty Increase
Last month, National Music Publishers’ Association president David Israelite stated that any challenge to the CRB’s proposed mechanical royalty increases would be ‘declaring war on songwriters‘. Well, if that’s the case, the enemy assault is coming fro…