The latest on: NFL Anti-Trust decision; Record Labels Sue Over Generative AI; Copyright Office clarifies Termination Rights, Royalties, Transfers, Disputes, and the MMA.
Nota Bene Episode 111: Charting the New World of Music Royalty Investment with Sid Fohrman
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 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
The Orrin G. Hatch–Bob Goodlatte Music Modernization Act, or Music Modernization Act (“MMA”), signed into law on October 11, 2018, has transformed the music streaming industry in the years since its implementation. The...more
With the recent viral AI-created song that replicated Drake and The Weeknd’s vocals, questions continue to mount around the use of generative AI in the production of copyrighted works like music. The latest generative AI can...more
In the cloud-based age where numerous tech giants such as Google, Amazon, and Apple have launched cloud music services, many kept abreast of ongoing legal battles over online service providers’ liability for users’ music...more
PE investors may like the sound of music deals but complex issues remain. Music deals, particularly the acquisition of rights to songs and recordings by popular music artists, continue to be attractive investments for...more
On July 8, 2021, the U.S. Copyright Office released a public report, Unclaimed Royalties: Best Practice Recommendations for the Mechanical Licensing Collective, as required by the Music Modernization Act (MMA). The passage of...more
Music royalty investments have become a big global business. For investors looking for a growing industry to tap into, the music royalty market might be it. Will a flood in investment funds impact the music business overall?...more
Copyright jurisprudence in 2020 was, in many ways, a study in the scope of copyright protection. While certain courts brought century-year-old precedent to the forefront to interpret the scope of copyrights, other courts...more
2019 brought many changes for fitness companies compiling the perfect playlist for group workout classes, especially for at-home virtual classes. Peloton’s most popular product is an indoor bicycle with live streaming and...more
What Rights Does Your Music License Agreement Give You? Many people believe that when they pay for a subscription to a music subscription service, such as Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, or Google Play Music,...more
For the first time since 2007, the Recording Industry Association of America is reporting that the United States retail music market is on its way to becoming a $10 billion market. Streaming royalties account for a majority...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
In our previous posts in our Music Law 101 series, we have covered the basics of copyright law, including the scope of copyright protection, copyright ownership, the exclusive rights of copyright, the duration of copyright...more
On October 11, 2018, the President signed the Orrin G. Hatch-Bob Goodlatte Music Modernization Act (H.R. 1551). After years of calls for reform to music licensing by virtually all interests in the music industry, the MMA...more
Over the years, tastes have shifted from bands like the Beatles and Led Zeppelin to more electronically-produced sounds. But no matter your opinion of Justin Bieber’s or Lady Gaga’s artistic chops, there’s no doubt music –...more
Ever bought a song or an album on iTunes and, after a while, decided you didn’t like it? Did you wish you could sell it somewhere, to someone, for something, the way you might have done with an old vinyl record or CD?...more
On October 11, 2018, President Trump signed into law the long-anticipated Music Modernization Act (“MMA”), legislation focused on shepherding the existing music licensing system into the digital age. Among the highlights,...more
The music business is financially stronger than it has been in several years, thanks to streaming, which now makes up 75% of the industry’s revenues in the United States. Revenues from streaming in the first half of 2018 grew...more
Met with widespread support, the Music Modernization Act was signed into law on October 11, 2018. The Music Modernization Act (“MMA”) largely came about as a reaction to music streaming services’ domination of the music...more
On October 11, 2018, President Trump signed the Orrin G. Hatch-Bob Goodlatte Music Modernization Act (the “MMA”). The MMA was unanimously approved in both chambers of Congress before the President’s signature and marks the...more
Last week, President Trump signed into law the Orrin G. Hatch–Bob Goodlatte Music Modernization Act. The Act modifies existing law under the Copyright Act, and largely affects only those who deliver digital music content or...more