Headlines June 2023
| June 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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SABAM: Three times more online rights for authors thanks to new technology and partnership with BMAT
SABAM, 22 May 2023 A new partnership with BMAT Music Innovators and a brand-new technology platform driven by the Cloud have helped SABAM to successfully distribute over 6 million euros in online rights in 2022, twice the amount from the previous year, with an aim to distributing over 9 million euros by 2023 year-end. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ ZAiKS under the scrutiny of the prosecutor's office Newsweek, 5 May 2023 Law enforcement agencies are investigating abuses in Polish Association of Authors and Stage Composers, ZAiKS. About 20 people have already been questioned in the case and the ministry is also considering an inspection. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ More than 120 thousand creators, in SGAE SGAE, 24 May 2023 The General Society of Authors and Publishers (SGAE) comprises 121,426 creators, 8,655 heirs, and 2,433 publishers, making it a prominent copyright management organization. In 2022, it gained 5,968 new members, a 23% increase from the previous year. SGAE distributed 316.3 million euros among its members and administrators, marking a 27.4% rise compared to 2021. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ BumaStemra distributed another record amount to music creators in 2022 BumaStemra, 24 May 2023 In 2022, BumaStemra paid over €239 million in annual distributions to songwriters, composers, and music publishers, a 22% rise from 2021. Combined royalties collected by Buma and Stemra reached €263 million, a 29% increase. Online music use saw substantial growth, accounting for 23% of the total. Management costs were €31.2 million (5% lower than budgeted). Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ SABAM: Collective rights management and abuse of dominance: Court of appeal of Brussels applies the CJEU principles in a major Belgian festival case Copyright Blog, 17 April 2023 On September 8, 2022, the Brussels court of appeal ruled on a case involving the Belgian collective management organization SABAM. The court examined whether SABAM's increase in royalty rates for festivals constituted an abuse of its dominant market position. The Brussels business court ruled in the favour of music festivals in the first instance. SABAM appealed, and the Brussels court of appeal referenced a previous CJEU decision to support its findings of SABAM's abuse of dominance. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ SIAE Works Return to Facebook and Instagram with ‘Transitional Agreement’ As Long-Term Licensing Talks Continue Digital Music News, 15 May 2023 After a rights dispute led to the removal of works by the Italian Society of Authors and Publishers (SIAE) from Instagram and Facebook, a "transitional agreement" has been reached with Meta. This agreement has allowed SIAE's members' content to be reinstated on the social platforms. SIAE continues to pursue a long-term agreement that is definitive and lasting. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ CISAC publishes its 2023 Annual Report CISAC, 25 May 2023 CISAC has released its 2023 Annual Report, outlining its efforts in supporting 227 member CMOs worldwide. The report highlights CISAC's priorities, including the increasing influence of AI and their advocacy for fairer compensation for creators in the streaming market. Forewords by CISAC President Björn Ulvaeus, Board Chair Marcelo Castello Branco, and Director General Gadi Oron detail their strategic vision for the future. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ MCPS announces highest distributions in 15 years with £188.4 million paid to members in 2022, an increase of £6.7 million from 2021 Record of the Day, 30 May 2023 MCPS, the Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society, increased its member distributions to £188.4 million in 2022, marking a £6.7 million increase from the previous year. Despite a period of revenue decline, MCPS has experienced four consecutive years of growth in member distributions. This growth is attributed to reproduction rights in various formats such as streaming, downloads, broadcast, international licensing, and physical formats like vinyl, CD, and DVD. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ | |
| ROYALTY & COPYRIGHT | |
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European authors and artists in Brussels are asking the European Parliament for support to establish fairness on the streaming market
HDS, 23 May 2023 EU authors and composers recently convened in Brussels for the "Meet The Authors" event to seek support from MEPs in creating a more equitable digital market. They highlighted the challenges faced by artists in the music and video-on-demand streaming sector and advocated for urgent solutions, including addressing the issues of forced redemption of rights and unfair rules imposed by non-EU platforms that bypass Union regulations and undermine fair remuneration principles. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ BMI Partners With Music Nation to Create a World-Class Performing Rights Infrastructure in the UAE BMI, 22 May 2023 BMI and Music Nation Copyrights Management have joined forces to create a music licensing and royalty distribution infrastructure in the UAE. This collaboration aims to safeguard the rights of music creators and ensure proper compensation for their work, while also supporting the growth of aspiring songwriters and composers in the region. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ US Copyright Office Guidance on Royalty Eligibility of Musical Works Generated Using AIs Lexology, 17 May 2023 The Copyright Office has issued a letter to the CEO of the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) providing guidance on royalty distributions for musical works generated using artificial intelligence (AI). The letter offers instructions on how the MLC should handle these types of works when it comes to distributing royalties. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ Triller To Pay Sony Music $4.57m As Video Platform Admits Liability for Breached Licensing Deal Music Business Worldwide, 27 April 2023 Triller has agreed to pay Sony Music $4.57 million as a settlement in a breach of contract lawsuit. Sony Music accused Triller of failing to make agreed-upon payments for licensing its music throughout 2022, resulting in missed monthly payments from March to August. Sony claimed additional payments were due for September, October, and November 2022. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ Ed Sheeran cleared of infringing copyright in Marvin Gaye lawsuit The Guardian, 4 May 2023 A New York jury has cleared Ed Sheeran of copyright infringement allegations in a cased closely watched by the global entertainment industry. The lawsuit revolved around whether Sheeran had ripped off Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On." The verdict will be viewed as a significant win for recording artists. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ EU lawmakers pass draft of AI Act, includes copyright rules for generative AI VentureBeat, 27 April 2023 EU lawmakers have successfully reached an agreement and passed a draft of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act, marking the first comprehensive legislation on AI regulation. The next step, known as the trilogue, involves negotiations between EU lawmakers and member states to finalize the bill's details. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ IFPI statement on the publication of the EU Priority Third Countries Report 2023 IFPI, 22 May 2023 The European Commission has released its EU Priority Countries Report to enhance the safeguarding and implementation of intellectual property rights (IPR) in non-EU countries. The report identifies "priority countries" where inadequate IPR protection poses significant economic risks to EU interests. By focusing on these areas, the European Commission aims to allocate resources and initiatives toward improving the global IPR landscape. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ Ed Sheeran Wins Second Copyright Lawsuit Over ‘Thinking Out Loud’ Rollingstone, 17 May 2023 A federal judge has dismissed a second copyright case against Ed Sheeran, alleging that his song "Thinking Out Loud" copied Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On." The judge ruled that the elements Sheeran allegedly copied were too common to be protected by copyright, shortly after a jury had already cleared Sheeran in a similar case. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ British music industry promises to up its metadata game Musically, 1 June 2023 The UK’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has announced an agreement among key players in the UK music streaming industry to enhance metadata and ensure consistent crediting on streaming platforms within two years. This commitment aims to improve the accuracy and completeness of information associated with new recordings. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ Economics of music streaming: Government accepts CMS Committee recommendation on industry remuneration working group Parliament.UK, 30 May 2023 The UK Government has formed an industry working group to address fair pay concerns for music creators in the streaming industry, following the recommendations of the CMS Committee's recent report. The new group will be composed of representatives and experts from across the music sector. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ |
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| NEW MEDIA | |
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Google Opens Up AI Text-to-Music Generator MusicLM — Just Don’t Ask It to Mimic Popular Artists Digital Music News, 11 May 2023 Google has made its text-to-music generator, MusicLM, accessible to a wider audience after its initial unveiling four months ago. The AI-powered tool is now available for testing and improvement, as Google announced the expanded access and shared details about its usage in a brief message. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ TikTok Sister Music App Resso Shuts Down Free Tier, Goes Subscription-Only Music Business Worldwide, 3 May 2023 Resso, the sister music app of TikTok, has transitioned into a premium-only service and discontinued its free tier. Existing users of the ad-supported tier will receive a 30-day free trial for the new premium service. Ole Obermann, ByteDance's Global Head of Music, stated that this change will improve the user experience for music fans and create more opportunities for rights holders and artists. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ AI Music App Boomy Has Created 14.4m Tracks to Date. Spotify Just Deleted A Bunch Of Its Uploads After Detecting ‘Stream Manipulation’ Music Business Worldwide, 3 May 2023 Spotify has ceased publishing new releases from AI music app Boomy and removed certain catalog releases from the platform. The decision was made by Spotify and Boomy's distributor to investigate potential irregularities in activity. Spotify confirmed that these catalog releases were removed due to artificial streaming, and any streams related to them will not be considered in royalty calculations. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ SoundCloud and Merlin announce global licensing deal Independent Music Insider, 4 May 2023 SoundCloud and Merlin have reached a global licensing agreement that allows Merlin members and their artists to participate in SoundCloud's Fan-Powered Royalties (FPR) model. FPR is a user-centric payout model where a portion of each listener's subscription or advertising revenue goes directly to the tracks they listen to, enabling rightsholders and artists to earn from their fans' listening activity and gain valuable insights to connect directly with them on SoundCloud. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ Tencent Music Quarterly Revenue Hits $1B on Big Spike in Streaming Billboard, 16 May 2023 Tencent Music's overall revenue for the quarter ending March 31 increased by 5.4% to RMB 7 billion ($1.02 billion) compared to the previous year. This growth was primarily driven by a 34% rise in revenue from music subscriptions, amounting to RMB 2.6 billion ($378 million). The number of online music subscribers also saw a 17.7% increase to 94.4 million. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ Apple Services, Including Apple Music, Reach Record Quarterly Revenues of $20.9 Billion Digital Music News, 4 May 2023 Apple exceeded expectations in its fiscal quarter ending in March 2023, reporting a revenue of $94.8 billion. Although this represents a 3 percent decrease compared to the previous year, Apple's services segment, which includes Apple Music and Apple TV+, achieved a record-breaking revenue of $20.9 billion during the quarter. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ boombox.io Raises $7M to Build Out Creator Platform for Music Makers PRNewsWire, 23 May 2023 boombox.io, a collaboration platform for music makers, has secured $7 million in seed capital in a funding round led by Forerunner with participation from super{set} startup studio and Ulu Ventures. The investment will allow boombox.io to expand its team, advance product development, forge new partnerships, and continue serving its dedicated early customers. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ | |
| PRIVATE COPYING | |
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Computers may be subject to the private copying tax in France MacGeneration, 24 May 2023 After evaluating the implementation of the private copying tax on refurbished devices, proponents of the tax are now contemplating expanding its scope to include additional devices, such as computers. Cloud services, increasingly used as storage tools, may be in the sights of the authorities. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ |
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| FIGHT AGAINST PIRACY | |
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Court Denies Grande’s Challenge of $47 Million Music Piracy Verdict
TorrentFreak, 12 May 2023 Grande Communications' attempt to overturn a $47 million music piracy verdict has been unsuccessful. A Texas federal court rejected the internet provider's request for a judgment or a new trial. Consequently, Grande will now proceed to appeal the decision in the Court of Appeals, continuing its dispute with major music labels. Link to original article | Back To The Top ▲ | |