Headlines July 2023
| July 2023 | |
| INDEX | |
BIEM, ITS MEMBERS AND SISTER ORGANISATIONS - Go to Section ▼
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| BIEM, ITS MEMBERS AND SISTER ORGANISATIONS | |
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AKM wins before ECJ
AKM, 1 June 2023 The European Court of Justice ruled in favour of AKM in a legal dispute with Canal+. The case revolved around whether Canal+, a satellite bouquet operator, needed additional copyright licenses for its customers in Austria or if the existing licenses for the included channels were sufficient. The court affirmed Canal+'s liability, establishing its obligation to pay AKM without any doubt. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ OSA 2022 economic results: Authors shared the highest amount in history for the use of their works OSA, 14 June 2023 2022 has been the most successful year ever for music authors and publishers, according to the financial results of Czech music rights management company OSA, with license collections surpassing CZK 1.2 billion. The total collection for all collecting societies reached CZK 1.45 billion, marking a 10% increase from 2021. A return to pre-pandemic levels was evident later in the year, especially in the 74% growth of revenues from public operations. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ SGAE: We establish alliances with CECOT SGAE, 26 June 2023 The General Society of Authors and Publishers (SGAE) and employer CECOT have entered into an agreement that allows for the public use of SGAE members' works and a diverse international repertoire by companies within the multisectoral confederation. Through this alliance, SGAE grants the necessary authorizations to guilds and business associations affiliated with CECOT, enabling them to legally utilize copyrighted works administered by SGAE. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ SOCAN’s Member-Centric Strategy Results In 16% Surge In 2022 Revenues SOCANMagazine, 26 June 2023 SOCAN experienced substantial year-over-year growth in collections from music licenses as Canadian pandemic restrictions eased, with total collections reaching $484 million – a 16% increase over 2021. Digital collections showed significant growth and were close to surpassing traditional broadcast revenue. Additionally, revenue from concerts surpassed pre-pandemic levels, indicating a positive recovery for the industry. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ MCPS member distributions increased by £6.7 million in 2022 Complete Music Update, 31 May 2023 UK collecting society MCPS reported a £6.7 million rise in member distributions, totalling £188.4 million in payouts. Membership grew by 7.5% with 2,284 new members. Notably, MCPS reduced its commission rates by 10% from August 2022, an unprecedented move that provides members with higher returns at competitive rates. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ SACEM Annual Report 2022 SACAM, 21 June 2023 SACEM has achieved record-breaking results in 2022, demonstrating operational success and the effectiveness of its transformative strategy, including value creation through digital platforms. Online revenues now account for over a third of SACEM's collections, totalling €1,413 million, a remarkable 34% increase from 2021. Overall, the amounts allocated to rightsholders reached €1,056 million, marking a 19% growth compared to the previous year. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ The results of HDS ZAMP: a record year for Croatian music authors! HDS, 29 June 2023 The ZAMP service of the Croatian Composers' Society reported record revenues for Croatian music authors in 2022. Total revenues reached HRK 165,068,146.63 (EUR 21,908,308.00), a significant increase of nearly HRK 38 million (EUR 5 million) or 29.83%. Concerts and events experienced substantial growth, with royalties increasing by almost 300% and events growing by 130%. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ ZAiKS has established cooperation with TikTok Glamrap, 7 June 2023 ZAiKS announced that it has entered into a multi-territorial licensing deal with TikTok. The agreement regulates current copyright fees for the use of works on TikTok and its precursor Musical.ly. Importantly, it also regulates royalties paid to creators for songs used on these services since the beginning of their operation in Poland. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ SOKOJ: Annual Report For 2022 SOKOI, June 2023 The full 2022 annual report on the business of SOKOJ (the Serbian Music Authors' Organization), which represents the rights of Serbian music authors, lyricists, arrangers, and other holders of copyright in musical works, has been published and can be viewed here. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ OSA succeeded in its lawsuit against ÚOHS at the Regional Court in Brno OSA, 27 June 2023 The Brno Regional Court ruled on a lawsuit filed by the Copyright Protection Association (OSA) against the Office for the Protection of Competition (ÚOHS). The court upheld the decision of ÚOHS, which imposed a fine of CZK 10,676,000 on OSA. The fine was based on alleged abuse of a dominant position, where OSA was accused of not considering occupancy of accommodation facilities between 2008 and 2014. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ SUISA achieves the best annual result in its 100-year history SUISA, 28 June 2023 In 2022, SUISA achieved a new record year with a 20.7% increase in revenue from copyright exploitation, reaching CHF 180.5 million. This growth was primarily driven by a surge in performance rights (+66.4%), particularly from concerts, and music streaming (+52.0%). Current forecasts suggest that the losses caused by COVID-19 should be recovered by 2024. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ AKM: Lean cost structure brings more royalties for authors and publishers AKM, 15 June 2023 AKM's 2022 annual results highlight positive growth in licensing revenues. The collecting society for music demonstrated high efficiency and effectiveness by international standards. The prescriptions for music use in Austria reached nearly pre-pandemic levels at €101.6 million, a 38.3% increase. Live performances saw significant growth at €17 million (+193.9%), and mechanical reproduction of music in business premises reached €30 million, nearly doubling from the previous year (+96.6%). Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ Concord Renews Partnership with Pan-European Licensing Hub ICE Core in Multi-Year Deal Music Business Worldwide, 13 June 2023 A press release by ICE announced that Concord has renewed its multi-year partnership with ICE Services, a Pan-European licensing hub. As a direct member of ICE Core since 2018, Concord has experienced a substantial increase in royalties, with an average annual growth of over 34% since 2020. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ Collection/distribution, record-high performance JASRAC, easing of restrictions is a tailwind Kankokeizai, 6 June 2023 The Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers (JASRAC) released its 24th business report and announced the 2022 JASRAC Awards. The society collected a record 29.1 billion yen, showing a significant increase of 208.5% compared to the previous year. The post-COVID relaxation of restrictions on concert capacities and an increase in large-scale concerts were key contributors to this growth. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ Dr. Tobias Holzmüller to succeed Dr Harald Heker as GEMA CEO GEMA, 29 June 2023 Dr. Haral Hejer will retire on September 30, 2023 after 17 years as GEMA CEO. He will be replaced by Dr. Tobias Holzmüller, chief legal counsel of the collective management organisation since 2013. Dr. Tobias Holzmüller will take on his new functions on October 1, 2023. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ | |
| ROYALTY & COPYRIGHT | |
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Creative Australia bill passage
APRA AMCOS, 16 June 2023 The Australian parliament has passed legislation to reform the Australia Council into Creative Australia, establish the national music development agency Music Australia, and introduce Creative Workplaces. The Creative Australia Bill 2023 and Creative Australia (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2023 repeal the Australia Council Act 2013 and fulfil commitments made by the Australian Government through its national cultural policy Revive. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ Should Artificial Intelligence Content Be Labeled? European Commission Vice President Calls for Enhanced AI Media Regulations Digital Music News, 5 June 2023 During a meeting with the signatories of the EU's Code of Practice on Disinformation, European Commission Vice President for values and transparency, Věra Jourová, emphasised the need for recognition and clear labelling of content created by artificial intelligence. The Code of Practice, consisting of 44 commitments and 128 specific measures, was finalized in June 2022 to combat disinformation on the internet. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ US CRB Announcement | Phono III Featured BIEM, 24 May 2023 The Copyright Royalty Board has announced new royalty rates and terms for the use of musical works in phonorecords during the period of 2018-2022. This initial determination and the publication of the corresponding regulations represent an important step in the CRB’s process of finalizing the rates for the Phono 3 rate period. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ Dua Lipa ‘Levitating’ Lawsuit Jointly Dropped with Prejudice Days Following Dismissal Order Digital Music News, 8 June 2023 A federal judge has dismissed the lawsuit against Dua Lipa's song "Levitating," raising doubts about whether the artist had accessed the allegedly infringed track. Although the plaintiffs were given the opportunity to amend their complaint, they have now agreed to drop the action. The case has been dismissed with prejudice, and each party will bear its own costs. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ What Does the EU’s New AI Act Mean for Tech Startups And Rightsholders? Music Business Worldwide, 15 June 2023 The European Parliament has approved the AI Act, a comprehensive set of rules that includes restrictions on generative AI tools like ChatGPT. The legislation also prohibits certain AI practices, including real-time facial recognition, predictive policing tools, and social scoring systems used in China. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ YouTube resolves composer's copyright lawsuit one day before trial Reuters, 12 June 2023 YouTube and Grammy-winning composer Maria Schneider have mutually agreed to dismiss Schneider's lawsuit accusing the video-sharing platform of enabling piracy of her works. The copyright infringement trial, scheduled to start on Monday, has been cancelled. The case has been dismissed with prejudice, preventing it from being refiled in the future. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ Twitter hit with $250-million copyright infringement lawsuit from music publishers LA Times, 14 June 2023 A coalition of music publishers, including Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, and Sony Music Publishing, has filed a lawsuit in Tennessee federal court against Twitter for alleged "massive copyright infringement." Seventeen music publishers are seeking over $250 million in damages. The lawsuit names Elon Musk's X Corp, which owns Twitter, as the sole defendant. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ |
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| NEW MEDIA | |
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As Ai-Made Music Explodes, Deezer Lays Out Strategy to Identify Ai Tracks And ‘Weed Out Illegal and Fraudulent Content’ On Its Platform Music Business Worldwide, 6 June 2023 Deezer is developing tools to detect AI-generated content and plans to tag music created by generative AI, specifically songs featuring synthetic voices of existing artists. These tags will provide transparency to artists, labels, and users regarding what content is "real" or AI-generated. Deezer aims to reduce fraudulent activity and create a remuneration model that recognizes different types of music creation. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ Meta trained music-making AI tool on “20,000 hours of licensed music” Complete Music Update, 13 June 2023 Meta has confirmed that its recently demonstrated AI-powered music generator, MusicGen, was trained using a vast dataset consisting of 20,000 hours of licensed music. This includes 10,000 tracks deemed to be of "high quality." MusicGen is described as a user-friendly and adjustable music generation model that can be influenced by both text and melody prompts. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ Spotify plans more expensive subscription tier - Bloomberg News Reuters, 20 June 2023 Spotify is preparing to introduce a new premium subscription option, named "Supremium," which will include high-fidelity audio. This higher-priced plan will initially be launched in non-US markets before being introduced in the US in October 2023. Additionally, Spotify plans to enhance its existing premium tier by providing subscribers with expanded access to audiobooks. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ So Long, Stitcher: SiriusXM to Shut Down Podcast App, Website Variety, 27 June 2023 Stitcher will be discontinued on August 29, 2023. The owner, SiriusXM, reportedly aims to integrate podcasts into its main subscription business. Subscribers will be able to listen to podcasts within the SiriusXM app, and a new listening experience is planned for later this year. However, Stitcher Studios and Earwolf networks, which produce original podcast shows, will continue to operate under the Stitcher name. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ Generative AI or AI-Related Content Accounted for 1.7 billion YouTube Views Last Year Digital Music News, 26 June 2023 YouTube's annual Culture & Trends Report highlights the growing popularity of generative AI and virtual YouTubers (vTubers), with 60% of respondents expressing openness to AI-generated content and 52% having watched a vTuber in the past year. YouTube recorded over 1.7 billion views in 2022 for videos related to or utilizing generative AI tools, indicating their increasing mainstream presence. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ Spotify’s next content expansion may be full-length music videos Musically, 3 July 2023 Spotify is reportedly discussing the addition of full-length music videos with potential partners, following in the footsteps of competitors such as YouTube Music, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. The move is seen as an effort to catch up with rivals that have already integrated music videos into their platforms. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ | |
| PRIVATE COPYING | |
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French Private copying: the big collection of 2022 MacGeneration, 9 June 2023 French private copying generated €285 million last year, which is the third-highest amount ever recorded. From July 2021 to March 2023, reconditioners paid €6.73 million for private copying. The future of the fee in this sector remains uncertain, as rights holders aim to extend private copying to computers, leading to a potential conflict with industrialists. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ |
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| FIGHT AGAINST PIRACY | |
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Campaign launches to combat streaming fraud with widespread industry backing
MusicWeek, 15 June 2023 Music Fights Fraud is a global task force dedicated to eliminating streaming fraud, with a primary focus on combating streaming manipulation and fraud across different music streaming platforms. The campaign, which has widespread industry backing, aims to detect, prevent, mitigate, and enforce anti-fraud measures. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ Anti-piracy software to tackle AI music infringement Advanced-Television, 31 May 2023 One Media's subsidiary, TCAT, has introduced TCAT Insight, which utilizes scanning technology to help music copyright owners to identify copyright infringements, including AI-generated music. The software compares metadata such as artist name, track title, and additional keywords, to detect potentially pirated tracks. It also employs artificial intelligence and metadata matching to analyse lyrics, enabling it to identify potential cover versions with a confidence analysis process. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ | |