Copyright & Media Update 10/20/17

October 20, 2017

Spotify Launches New Playlist Pitching System for Labels

BY STUART DREDGE: Spotify has moved to formalise the process by which major and independent labels pitch for slots in the Browse section of its service, with a quota-based system applying to global and local playlists. The move comes after longtime discussion within the industry about the extent to which Spotify promotes its own in-house curated playlists over those from label brands (like Digster, Filtr and Topsify) and independent curators. READ MORE…

RIAA Goes After Long List of Piracy Sites

BY BOBBY OWINSKI: Music piracy isn’t what it once was, but it’s still alive and well and the RIAA is trying to do something about it. In a letter to Elizabeth Kendall, the acting assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Innovation and Intellectual Property, the industry organization outlined a number of “notorious” platforms that it claims infringes on its member’s IP. These are essentially stream ripping sites, ones offering stolen MP3s, and others that are unauthorized song-sellers. READ MORE…

Netflix, Amazon, Other Studios Bring Piracy Lawsuit on TickBox

BY TROY DREIER: Hoping the courts can solve what software solutions can’t, several major studios have joined together in a lawsuit against TickBox TV, maker of a set-top box that simplifies streaming pirated premium content to TVs. Netflix, Amazon, 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Disney, Columbia, Universal, and Warner Bros. are seeking a legal prohibition on TickBox hardware, alleging that it provides “nearly instantaneous access” to their protected content, even movies still in theaters. Read the studios’ complaint, filed in a California federal court. READ MORE…

Will Congress Bring Songwriters a Lump of Coal or Justice?

BY CHRIS CASTLE: It is axiomatic that as government expands, liberty contracts. Songwriters are among the most highly regulated workers in America, so on the continuum of liberty, guess where songwriters score? Most people are surprised by that unadulterated, and rather bleak, fact. After all, songwriters don’t make anything toxic or build in places they shouldn’t or dump chemicals in a waterway. Songwriters don’t have monopoly power. Songwriters don’t even get to set their own prices—the government largely does that in a very expensive and Kafka-esque process. They just write songs. 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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