Weekly Copyright Update

November 6, 2015

Why Music Publishing Two-Class System Could Spell the End for New Indie Firms

BY MATT PINCUS: There’s an ominous moment in George Orwell’s Animal Farm when the seven commandments that govern the farm have gradually disappeared. Replacing them is a simple rule: “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.” Needless to say, things don’t go well after that.
We may be at such a moment in the music business, and I’m concerned for the future.
Why Streaming Doesn’t Really Matter for Adele

Why Streaming Doesn’t Really Matter for Adele

BY MARK MULLIGAN: The outstanding success of Adele’s single ‘Hello’ has stoked up the already eager debate around whether Adele’s forthcoming ‘25’ album is going to be a success. Indeed some are asking whether it is going to ‘save the industry’. One of the aspects that is getting a lot of attention is whether the album is going to be held back from some or all of the streaming services. The parallels with Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’ are clear, especially because both Swift and Adele are strong album artists, which is an increasingly rare commodity these days. But the similarities do not go much further. In fact the two artists have dramatically different audience profiles which is why streaming plays a very different role for Adele than it does for Swift.
In Search of Answers to the Piracy Problem

In Search of Answers to the Piracy Problem

BY MIIKE KUPFERSCHMID: I read with great interest Mike Masnick’s recent article in The Hill titled “The answer to the copyright question is innovation” and found myself agreeing with much of what he said about how to solve the problem of copyright piracy. Masnick says that copyright theft can be reduced by the provision of innovative consumer friendly services that respond to consumers’ entertainment needs.
Billions & Billions: Carl Sagan, Meet Christophe Muller and Daniel Ek

Billions & Billions: Carl Sagan, Meet Christophe Muller and Daniel Ek

BY CHRIS CASTLE: If you ever watched Cosmos, who can forget Carl Sagan’s many references to millions, billions and trillions. But Dr. Sagan ain’t got nothing on YouTube and Spotify. In their desperate attempt to quell the international wave of anger against the respective services, YouTube’s Christophe Muller and of course the venture capitalist darling Daniel Ek have been quick to throw out vague numbers of a Sagan-level billions and billions of dollars in royalties each service has paid out to “rights holders.”

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 Pinterest. The information contained herein is for informational purposes only, and is not legal advice or a substitute for legal counsel.

Tags: Adele, music business, music publishing, streaming