Copyright & Media Update – 9/23/16

September 23, 2016

BMI Rate-Court Judge Rules Against Dept. of Justice’s ‘100 Percent’ Licensing Decision

BY ED CHRISTMAN: In a surprise move, BMI’s rate court judge ruled last Friday that fractional licensing is allowed under the consent decree the performing-rights organization operates under, according to a statement from BMI. According to Judge Louis Stanton’s ruling, “The consent decree neither bars fractional licensing nor requires full-work licensing,” which is the exact opposite of what the DOJ [Dept. of Justice] argued when it gave ASCAP and BMI one year to employ full-works licensing. READ MORE…

Spotify, Apple Drive US Music Industry’s 8% First-Half Growth

BY LUCAS SHAW [LOS ANGELES]: After almost two decades of relentless decline caused by piracy and falling prices, the music business is enjoying a fragile recovery thanks to the growth of paid streaming services like Spotify Ltd and Apple Music. Retail spending on recorded music grew 8.1 percent to US$3.4 billion in the first half of 2016, according to a draft midyear report from the Recording Industry Association of America that was obtained by Bloomberg News. READ MORE…

The New Rules of the Creative Economy

BY NEIL HOWE: Nearly 200 A-list musicians have signed an open letter to Congress calling for better protections against copyright infringement and higher royalty rates from streaming sites. Current licensing laws, they say, are out of sync with the digital age and threaten the ability of artists and songwriters to make a living. It’s an oft-repeated critique that will sound familiar to anyone in a creative field: that the Internet and media consumption habits have strained the economics of producing art to the point that musicians, writers, and filmmakers will be forced out of business. READ MORE…

Copyright Court Busts the “Gossip Cop”

BY STEPHEN CARLISLE: Here’s an interesting “transformative use” case that flew under the radar. Thanks to the good people at TheTMCA.com for uncovering it. The case is BWP Media USA, Inc v. Gossip Cop Media Inc. BWP Media is a photography licensing service. Gossip Cop is “a for-profit website that presents celebrity gossip news and opines on the veracity of celebrity news stories published by unaffiliated third-party outlets.” READ MORE…

About Christian Copyright Solutions: CCS’s quest is to help churches and Chris tian 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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