The National Music Publishers’ Association and the Nashville Songwriters Association have moved to exclude Sony Music Entertainment from participating in the Copyright Royalty Board’s proceeding to determine mechanical royalty rates for a variety of services.
The NMPA/NSAI argue that because Sony is neither a licensor (i.e. music publishers) nor a licensee (i.e. digital services), it should not influence rate setting procedures, while Sony argues that it works closely with songwriters who have a direct interest in the rate. Sony’s proposed rate, while not released, is assumed to be lower than what the NMPA/NSAI are seeking.
• After raising $9.25 million since its 2008 launch and signing an exclusive deal with The Coca-Cola Company to be the brand’s global music partner, sync licensing service Music Dealers has gone out of business. Music Dealers founder and CEO Eric Sheinkop has moved on to a new startup, desirelist, co-founded with former Coca-Cola executive Judith Snyder. Meanwhile, artists/songwriters who had used Music Dealers to help place their music are left without payment and unsure who is in control of their compositions.
• For the 16th quarter in a row, Sony/ATV claimed the title of top U.S. music publisher for the 2nd quarter of 2016, with help from Mike Posner’s “I Took A Pill In Ibiza,” which ranked #2 among airplay songs.Warner/Chappell, who control the #1 ranked song, “7 Years” by Lukas Graham, comes in second with regards to market share. The song ranked #3 for the quarter, Fifth Harmony’s “Work From Home” ft. TY Dolla Sign, is represented by 4 of the top 5 publishers.