The official bio for Justice Department official supervising the ASCAP/BMI consent decree review leaves out her representation of Google. Now why might that be?

via What’s Missing in DOJ Songwriter Antagonist’s Official Bio? — Artist Rights Watch

ASCAP’s CEO tells songwriters that ASCAP strongly disagrees with the new government rule that forces PROs to adopt 100% licensing. None of the parties to the decrees raised the issue. “We believe that this approach will only create confusion, chaos and instability, harming both music creators and users. Even more troubling is the fact that the government chose this path, despite the fact that more than 15,000 songwriters and composers, as well as the US Copyright Office, members of Congress and others in the industry, registered their strong opposition to 100% licensing with the DOJ.”

via ASCAP CEO Beth Matthews Responds to the Recent Proposal from the US Department of Justice — Artist Rights Watch

The head of the DOJ Antitrust Division is a former Google lawyer–so DOJ ruling against songwriters on 100% licensing to Google’s benefit should come as no surprise.

via Billboard: Google’s Justice Department out to Destroy PROs — Artist Rights Watch

Labels need to be coming to grips with a succession plan when YouTube negotiations fail to satisfy artist concerns–Apple and Spotify are logical choices.

by Chris Castle via The Great Artist Revolt: Are Apple Music and Spotify a Solution to a Post-YouTube Reality? — Music Tech Solutions

Right now I see no reason to think there is any likelihood that those trend lines will change direction for the frothy bubble in the markets that I think is a necessary condition for a Spotify IPO (or even a real unicorn like Uber). How long? Weeks and weeks for sure and probably months and months, well into 2017.

via Spotify IPO Watch: Brexit’s Bubble Bursting Bang — Artist Rights Watch

Labels made deals with @YouTube out of desperation. It’s pennies & whack-a-mole. How can labels renew YT deals with so much artist pressure? — Irving Azoff (@irvingazoff) June 22, 2016

Irving Azoff asks the right question of the labels that are in renegotiations with YouTube to extend their licenses:  Given the global unity against Google’s business practices, how can labels close new deals without using that negotiation to fix the DMCA abuse problems that everyone knows are unique to Google?

via Fixing the Legacy DMCA by Contract — MUSIC • TECHNOLOGY • POLICY

Congressman Jerry Nadler’s leadership and courage on behalf of American music makers is unmatched in Congress. He was the first member of Congress I was ever invited to meet with. He was the first Representative to stand with ‪#‎IRespectMusic‬. He’s co-authored (with Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn) the ‪#‎FairPlayFairPayAct‬ to ensure that music makers get paid fairly for radio play.

via @theblakemorgan: Courage Deserves Support: Vote for Rep. Jerry Nadler on June 28 in NY-10 — Artist Rights Watch

Lowery: “The DMCA is an AOL law in a Snapchat world.” KFOG’s Matt Pinfield interviews David Lowery on air about the 180 artists joining the grassroots to oppose the DMCA. via @mattpinfield: KFOG Interviews David Lowery on Artist Letter Against DMCA Shakedown — Artist Rights Watch

via @mattpinfield: KFOG Interviews David Lowery on Artist Letter Against DMCA Shakedown — Artist Rights Watch — MUSIC • TECHNOLOGY • POLICY

Google’s response to the artist rights movement has been to form organizations of their own through proxies. The Internet Creators Guild looks to be another pillar of Google’s cynical PR campaign against artists.

via What Is the Internet Creators Guild? — Artist Rights Watch

YouTube’s incompetent Robert Kyncl makes the mistake of trying to do the okey doke on the biggest artists in the world.

via @nikkisixx: Full Text Of Nikki Sixx and Sixx:A.M’s Letter to Google CEO Larry Page — Artist Rights Watch