Phonorecords V Commencement Notice: Government setting song mechanical royalty rates

The Copyright Royalty Judges announce the commencement of a proceeding to determine reasonable rates and terms for making and distributing phonorecords for the period beginning January 1, 2028, and ending December 31, 2032. Parties wishing to participate in the rate determination proceeding must file their Petition to Participate and the accompanying $150 filing fee no later than 11:59 p.m. eastern time on January 30, 2026. Deets here.

US Mechanical Rate Increase

Songwriters Will Get Paid More for Streaming Royalties Starting Today (Erinn Callahan/AmericanSongwriter)

CRB Sets 2026 Mechanical Rate at 13.1¢ (Chris Castle/MusicTechPolicy)

Spotify’s Hack by Anna’s Archive

No news. Biggest music hack in history still stolen.

MLC Redesignation

The MMA’s Unconstitutional Unclaimed Property Preemption: How Congress Handed Protections to Privatize Escheatment (Chris Castle/MusicTechPolicy)

Under the Radar: Data Center Grass Roots Rebellion

Data Center Rebellion (Chris Castle/MusicTechSolutions)

The Data Center Rebellion is Here and It’s Reshaping the Political Landscape (Washington Post)

Residents protest high-voltage power lines that could skirt Dinosaur Valley State Park (ALEJANDRA MARTINEZ AND PAUL COBLER/Texas Tribune)

US Communities Halt $64B Data Center Expansions Amid Backlash (Lucas Greene/WebProNews)

Big Tech’s fast-expanding plans for data centers are running into stiff community opposition (Marc Levy/Associated Press)

Data center ‘gold rush’ pits local officials’ hunt for new revenue against residents’ concerns (Alander Rocha/Georgia Record)

AI Policy

Meet the New AI Boss, Worse Than the Old Internet Boss (Chris Castle/MusicTechPolicy)

Deloitte’s AI Nightmare: Top Global Firm Caught Using AI-Fabricated Sources to Support its Policy Recommendations (Hugh Stephens/Hugh Stephens Blog)

Grok Can’t Stop AI Exploitation of Women

I’m angry. AI-enabled sexual exploitation isn’t a victimless act. The fear that friends, family and colleagues might see it. The loss of safety, dignity and control over our bodies and identity. This isn’t “just technology.” It causes real harm and should have real consequences pic.twitter.com/23AAEbUfA4

— Bella Wallersteiner 🇺🇦 (@BellaWallerstei) January 3, 2026

Facebook/Meta Whistleblower Testifies at US Senate

Copyright Case 2025 Review

Year in Review: The U.S. Copyright Office (George Thuronyi/Library of Congress)

Copyright Cases: 2025 Year in Review (Rachel Kim/Copyright Alliance)

AI copyright battles enter pivotal year as US courts weigh fair use (Blake Brittain/Reuters)