The Pitch newsletter is a monthly update of legal issues and news affecting or related to the music, film and television, fine arts, media, professional athletics, eSports, and gaming industries. The Pitch features a diverse...more
In April 2024, Spotify announced a price increase for its ad-free premium subscription plan. This is the second price increase in 10 months and will go into effect in the United States later this year. According to Spotify,...more
The Mechanical Licensing Collective (“MLC”) was created to make paying songwriters and publishers easier. Just as performance rights organizations issue blanket licenses to music users (radio stations, television, venues,...more
In today’s digital economy, exactly how are musicians, songwriters, and other music industry players paid? And what impact will emerging technologies have on those payment streams? In this episode, Hillel Frankel hosts a...more
On October 25, 2022, the US Copyright Office proposed a new rule that would end and reverse actions of the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) that have deprived songwriters and their heirs of US copyright royalties after...more
On October 11, 2018, the Music Modernization Act (MMA) was signed into law resulting in one of the most significant legislative changes to the copyright law in the last 50 years. The bipartisan legislation, which was written...more
U.S. Copyright Office Approves Mechanical Licensing Collective - There is a new federally appointed team in charge of licensing music to digital services which will result in payments to songwriters. The U.S. Copyright...more
The recently enacted Music Modernization Act (MMA) dramatically modernizes licensing in the digital age and attempts to fill gaps in the copyright landscape. The Act encompasses not only the MMA itself but, as well, the...more