New Legislation Seeks to Modernize Copyright Act to Benefit Songwriters; Billboard, 2/25/14

Ed Christman, Billboard; New Legislation Seeks to Modernize Copyright Act to Benefit Songwriters:

"A member of Congress has introduced legislation this morning aimed at ensuring that the Copyright Royalty Board also consider fair market value when setting songwriter mechanical royalty rates for digital services.

The legislation was introduced by Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA), a member of the House Committee on the Judiciary, carrying the name the Songwriter Equity Act. Its purpose is to update provisions in the Copyright Act to level the playing field for songwriter, composers and publishers to receive fair compensation for the use of their intellectual property."

Music Labels Reach Online Royalty Deal; New York Times, 7/7/09

Claire Cain Miller via New York Times; Music Labels Reach Online Royalty Deal:

"On Tuesday, after a two-year battle, record labels and online radio stations agreed on new royalty rates for streaming music online. Many of the music sites had argued that the old rates were so high they were being forced out of business.

“This is definitely the agreement that we’ve been waiting for,” said Tim Westergren, the founder of Pandora, one of the most popular Internet radio sites.

The conflict began in March 2007, when the federal Copyright Royalty Board ruled that all so-called webcasters needed to pay a fee, set to increase to 0.19 cent a song next year, each time they streamed a song. Webcasters said the fees would eat up most of their revenue, which mostly comes from online advertising.

The new agreement treats sites differently depending on their size and business model. It applies to the period from 2006 through 2015 for big sites and through 2014 for small sites. The sites in question often provide customized streams of music, but listeners do not get to directly choose which songs they hear, and they are not permitted to store the music on their computers...

Webcasters also agreed to give more detailed information about the songs they play and how many people listen to them to SoundExchange, the nonprofit organization that collects and distributes digital royalties on behalf of artists and labels."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/08/technology/internet/08radio.html?_r=1&hpw

Web radio founder visits here to explain Pandora - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 10/13/08

Web radio founder visits here to explain Pandora:

"Pandora founder and chief strategy officer Tim Westergren will be in town tomorrow to talk to Pandora listeners about the service. The meet-up will be held at the SouthSide Works Cinema at 7 p.m. Admission is free, and the event is open to anyone who wants to learn more about Pandora...

Westergren has been one of the most vocal Webcasters leading the charge in the ongoing battle to reduce per-song-played copyright fees Webcasters are now required to pay to record labels. The increased fees for streaming music online were set by the Copyright Royalty Board last year.

Commercial radio only pays royalties to composers and not to artists or record companies."
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08287/919482-28.stm

First Royalty Rates Set for Digital Music - New York Times, 10/3/08

First Royalty Rates Set for Digital Music:
"In a decision closely watched by the music industry, a panel of federal judges who determine royalty rates for recordings ruled on Thursday to renew the current royalty rate for CDs and other physical recordings, while setting rates for the first time for downloads, ring tones and other services.
The ruling by the Copyright Royalty Board — a panel of three judges appointed by the Librarian of Congress — applied strictly to mechanical royalties, which are paid to the songwriters and publishers of music, not the performers...
Some in the industry warned that the measures might not be enough to stem the losses suffered since the rise of illegal file-sharing a decade ago. Jonathan Feinstein, a music lawyer at the Krasilovsky & Gross firm in New York, said the ruling introduced needed flexibility and certainty.
“Whether these developments will be sufficient to return the music industry to health is not clear,” Mr. Feinstein said."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/03/business/03royalty.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=copyright&st=cse&oref=slogin

Why The Online Music Industry Should Move To a Rev-Share Model - Washington Post, 10/1/08

Why The Online Music Industry Should Move To a Rev-Share Model:
"Moving to a revenue-sharing model makes a lot more economic sense. That way digital music sales has more breathing room to establish itself, and the artists will be able to grow with the industry. Eight percent of a bigger pie is better than nine percent of a smaller one. Rather than focus on how much each publisher gets per track, the Copyright Royalty Board should try to maximize the total amount of fees that publishers will get. A rev-share model is the way to go."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/01/AR2008100101433.html?sub=AR

Royalty rate stays same for iTunes, other download services - ars technica.com, 10/2/08

Royalty rate stays same for iTunes, other download services:
"The Copyright Royalty Board has handed Apple and other online music store operators a big victory, as it has decided to keep the royalty rate the same for physical media and "permanent" (nonsubscription) music downloads. "
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20081002-royalty-rate-stays-same-for-itunes-other-download-services.html

Apple Threatens iTunes Shutdown over Copyright Royalty Dispute - Wired.com, 10/01/08

Apple Threatens iTunes Shutdown over Copyright Royalty Dispute:
"Apple has threatened to shut down the iTunes music store if an obscure three-person board appointed by the Librarian of Congress increase the royalties paid to publishers and songwriters by six cents per song.
The Copyright Royalty Board is scheduled to hand down its decision on these rates by Thursday."
http://blog.wired.com/music/2008/10/thursdays-copyr.html