Digital Music News has a Q&A with Mona Hanna lead counsel for the proposed songwriters Spotify class action.  She compares the relative merits of the private-behind-closed-doors major publishers/HFA/Spotify settlement to the class action.   Excerpt below:

“Q: I’m a songwriter. How do I benefit from this settlement?

A: It is impossible to determine the true benefit to songwriters because the settlement negotiations between NMPA and Spotify have been conducted without Court oversight. In stark contrast, a class action settlement requires the class counsel – the attorneys representing the songwriters – to submit the settlement terms to a Court and provide the Court with evidence that the settlement was reached in an arm’s-length transaction. In other words, Courts ensure that there was no collusion in the negotiation and that the settlement is fair and reasonable to all class members. Unfortunately those safeguards are absent from the NMPA / Spotify settlement negotiations.”

Read more here:

Songwriters: Should You Sign the Spotify Settlement Agreement?