Month: December 2015

Spotify Hit With $150 Million Class Action Over Unpaid Royalties | Billboard

Vocal artist rights advocate David Lowery brings a massive action against the largest streaming service. Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker frontman David Lowery, retaining the law firm of Michelman & Robinson, LLP, has filed a class action lawsuit seeking at least $150 million in damages against Spotify, alleging it knowingly, willingly, and unlawfully reproduces and… Continue reading Spotify Hit With $150 Million Class Action Over Unpaid Royalties | Billboard

The Mother of All “Friday News Dumps” Spotify Admits it has an Unpaid Royalty Problem

  Donna: What’s take out the trash day? Josh: Friday. Donna: I mean, what is it? Josh: Any stories we have to give the press that we’re not wild about, we give all in a lump on Friday.   From West Wing episode “Take out the Trash Day.”  According to Taegan Goddard’s Political Dictionary a… Continue reading The Mother of All “Friday News Dumps” Spotify Admits it has an Unpaid Royalty Problem

The Absurd CRB Rates: Wage Stagnation Exposed Kafka Style

“The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’” Ronald Reagan This week we all got a glimpse of what the government thinks we’re all worth compared to Silicon Valley:  Not much.  Run along little artists and be glad that Washington allows you to keep… Continue reading The Absurd CRB Rates: Wage Stagnation Exposed Kafka Style

Artists Rights Advocates Make Gains in 2015… Web/Tech Admissions Laid Bare.

So many of the issues we’ve been talking about for years are finally becoming part of the larger and more mainstream conversations about artists rights and an ethical internet. Seems like there is a little bit more than a slight draft blowing on house of cards that Silicon Valley has built. Here’s a quick recap.… Continue reading Artists Rights Advocates Make Gains in 2015… Web/Tech Admissions Laid Bare.

What Does BMG v. Cox mean for the Copyright Alert System

Originally posted on Music Technology Policy:
A Virginia jury today handed down a $25 million judgement in favor of BMG for willful contributory copyright infringement by Cox Communications following what was apparently a very brief deliberation.  There will be much written about the case, but let’s think for a moment about what it means for…

Jury Rules For BMG on Cox Media P2P Piracy

Details are still slim, but it looks like a victory for artists and rightsholders.  Court agrees ISPs are supposed to have real policy for disconnecting repeat infringers.  Cox basically had a “fake” cutoff  policy and lost DMCA protections. Fox is now liable for user’s infringement. Law360, Washington (December 17, 2015, 12:38 PM ET) — Internet… Continue reading Jury Rules For BMG on Cox Media P2P Piracy

Opt Out of Pandora’s Purchase of Rdio

Remember that Pandora is buying some assets from the Rdio bankruptcy with the intention to expand its webcasting service into a windowing service like Spotify?  How can they do that you may ask?  Don’t the licenses for those recordings and songs terminate in a bankruptcy? Check your email–you may have received this notice from Pandora… Continue reading Opt Out of Pandora’s Purchase of Rdio

Pandora’s Shell Game with Royalty and Revenue

Originally posted on Music Technology Policy:
Remember when Pandora used to complain about how royalty costs were over half their revenue?  Let’s take a look at their income statement for the last 12 months (“trailing twelve months” or “ttm”) from Yahoo! Finance: “Total Revenue” of $1,100,000,000.  Because as Sean Parker will tell you, you know…