Copyright & Media Update – 12/16/16

December 16, 2016

First Proposal for Copyright Reform Arrives, Emphasizes Congressional Role

BY ROBERT LEVINE: House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and committee member John Conyers (D-Mich.) have released a proposal that would give the U.S. Copyright Office more autonomy, although it would stay in the Legislative Branch of government. Most important, it would subject the Register of Copyrights, the highest copyright position in the U.S. government, to the same Congressional nomination process as other government officials. Currently, the Copyright Office is part of the Library of Congress, and the Register is selected by the Librarian of Congress, with no review from lawmakers. READ MORE…

Upstart Music Licensing Co. Accuses Radio Stations of Unlawful Cartel

BY GENE MADDAUS: Global Music Rights, an upstart music licensing company founded by Irving Azoff, filed a federal anti-trust suit on Wednesday against the Radio Music License Committee, accusing the group of running an unlawful cartel on behalf of the nation’s radio stations. The conflict dates to 2013, when Azoff formed GMR to compete with the established licensing companies, ASCAP and BMI, which together control approximately 95% of music copyrights. ASCAP and BMI have longstanding agreements with radio stations, which are represented by the trade group RMLC, that set rates for airplay. READ MORE…

YouTube by the Numbers: Surprising Stats

BY BOBBY OWSINSKI: A recent look at a day in the life of YouTube by Pexeso is extremely illuminating. First of all, it’s not as music-centric as it was previously, with only 5% of its videos now dedicated to music. Those amounted to 11% of total views, which comes in 4th behind gaming, entertainment, and people and blogs. Another eye-opening stat is that more than 93% of the videos are in English, and that the 3 major labels rank 2, 3 and 4 among the number of take-down notices issued. READ MORE…

About Christian Copyright Solutions: CCS’s quest is to help churches and Christian ministries “do music right.” CCS is an expert on church music copyrights and our primary focus is providing licensing and clear educational resources to churches, as well as representation, administration, and advocacy for copyright owners. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. The information contained herein is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice or a substitute for legal counsel.

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