The Proposed “Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act”– yet another feeble attempt?
Since before the day that Napster was a twinkle in Sean Parker’s eye – well over a decade ago now – the legal and music industries have each struggled with ways to cope with and transform their dusty old business models from the physical status quo to the digital revolution.
Return fire by the music industry – artists to testify before Senate
The Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a high-profile hearing today on the subject of imposing additional performance royalties on so-called “over-the-air” or “terrestrial” radio stations (I’ll just call them OTA’s in this article). Investigative hearings such as these are usually precursors to legislation being introduced on the subject. Grammy winner, Lyle [...]
Napster Settlement Impacts Bertlelsmann AG Earnings
Because of its settlements with the four major music publishers involved in the Napster case -estimated at over $400 million- the German media conglomerate Bertelsmann AG (FRA: BTG4) reported a first-half net loss of shareholder profit of €51 million ($69.4 million), compared to earnings to shareholder of €258 million euros ($351.2 million) in the previous fiscal year. [...]
Taming the “Big Bad Record Company”
What songwriters can do to improve their negotiating strength in an entertainment deal A very common theme among my songwriter and artist clients is the subject of how they were “ripped off” by their record label and/or music publisher (for purposes of this general publication, I’ll refrain from using the actual, more vivid terms often [...]
