Copyright & Media Update 4/25/2019

April 26, 2019

Amazon and Google Are Making Music Free — And That Could Be a Big Headache for Spotify

ROLLING STONE: Spotify has regularly proffered the following justification for its “freemium” model: In a world where YouTube and piracy sites allow any of us to access most of the world’s recorded music without paying a bean, Spotify needs to be able to offer the same level of cost-free convenience to thrive. This is good news for artists and the industry, says Spotify, because “free” users will not only drive revenue by listening to advertising, they’ll also be in a position to be up-sold into Spotify’s $9.99-per-month Premium tier. READ MORE…

Spotify, Apple, Amazon, Google Withhold Endorsement of the NMPA’s MLC Proposal

DIGITAL MUSIC NEWS: Earlier this week, the highly-influential Recording Academy also withheld its support for the NMPA’s MLC bid, thanks to serious concerns about unfair royalty claims.  Just 24 hours after straddling the fence, however, the Grammy organization sided with the National Music Publisher’s Association and its major label clientele, but not without serious reservations and calls for greater oversight into questionable ‘black box’ claiming procedures. READ MORE…

Songwriters of North America Argues for Industry Coalition to Form the MLC

BILLBOARD: The Songwriters of North America has submitted a letter to the Copyright Office arguing why its industry consensus coalition, which also includes the National Music Publishers’ Association and the Nashville Songwriters Association International, should be chosen to form the mechanical licensing collective (MLC) created by the Music Modernization Act. READ MORE…

50,000-Member Strong ESCA Endorses the AMLC; Slams the NMPA’s MLC Bid as a ‘Major Conflict of Interest’

DIGITAL MUSIC NEWS: The influential European Songwriter & Composer Alliance (ESCA) has strongly backed the American Mechanical Licensing Collective, or AMLC, in its bid to oversee the US-based Mechanical Licensing Collective.  The strong endorsement also included a sharp rebuke of the NMPA-submitted MLC proposal, which is backed by major music publishers and larger indie pubs like Downtown Music Publishing and Reservoir Media Management. READ MORE…

The Plagiarism Apology of Filip Miucin

PLAGIARISM TODAY: Back in August 2018, IGN’s then-Nintendo Editor Filip Miucin was accused of plagiarism in his video review of the game Dead Cells. Like many plagiarism scandals, it started with a small number of phrases and ideas but quickly ballooned to include not just other content in the video itself but other items he’d posted on the site. READ MORE…

On the Road to a Modern Copyright System

AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION: The roar of support for modernizing the Copyright Office is deafening. Yet, despite those cheers, stakeholders debate the placement of the Office and the role of its head, the Register of Copyrights, in the copyright system. This article presents a narrative of the evolution of the copyright system from 1783 to the early days of the Copyright Office, considering along the way themes such as the requirements for registration, the use of the copyright system to build a national library, and the role of the Register in copyright policy. 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. Follow us onTwitter, Facebook, Instagram, andYoutube. The information contained herein is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice or a substitute for legal counsel.

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