Music Business Times Publishing Newshttp://app.feed.informer.com/digest3/UXTJUIMZBC.html Respective post owners and feed distributors http://feed.informer.com/ Broadcasters call the Performance Rights Act a tax. To the music industry, it's more like a royalty fee. But the legislation, which is gaining momentum in both the House and the Senate, is making radio stations nervous. For more than 80 years, commercial stations have aired songs without paying royalties to musicians. Sound recordings were exempted from performance rights fees even after they became copyrightable in 1972; and the Digital Performance Right in Sound Recordings Act, passed in 1995, applied only to new technologies such as cable, satellite and Internet radio. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ct-radio3-2009jul03,0,6937549.story?track=rss Delicious/mbtimes/pticker http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ct-radio3-2009jul03,0,6937549.story?track=rss? Sat, 04 Jul 2009 02:48 GMT The world's biggest distributor of links to copyright infringing material is to be bought by a software entrepreneur and turned into a legitimate business, the site has announced. The Pirate Bay has agreed to be acquired for £4.8 million. Swedish company Global Gaming Factory (GGF) has agreed to buy the site, which has been at the centre of political, legal and cultural storms all its life. It was the biggest repository of links to pirated content, though it hosted none itself. Its founders were found guilty earlier this year of facilitating copyright infringement in Sweden. http://www.out-law.com/page-10139 Delicious/mbtimes/pticker http://www.out-law.com/page-10139? Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:59 GMT Broadcast Music Inc., which collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers and music publishers, has gradually shifted the bulk of its jobs to Music Row in Nashville from West 57th Street in Manhattan, said Robbin Ahrold, a spokesman for BMI. It now has about 140 jobs in the city, down from a peak of about 500, and plans to move about 110 of them into two floors of 7 World Trade Center in the spring. http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/02/music-rights-group-is-moving-jobs-out-of-new-york/ Delicious/mbtimes/pticker http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/02/music-rights-group-is-moving-jobs-out-of-new-york/? Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:55 GMT Thomas publicly refused to pay the sizable damages, as each of the 24 copyright infringements carries a price of approximately $80,000. In a separate suit, lead lawyer Kiwi Camara is going after the RIAA for allegedly violating anti-racketeering laws by intimidating defendants into accepting settlements, rather than face legal costs of a lengthy court process. The RIAA allegedly offered to settle the first case for $25,000, although it is unclear... http://www.electronista.com/articles/09/07/02/riaa.defendant.to.appeal/ Delicious/mbtimes/pticker http://www.electronista.com/articles/09/07/02/riaa.defendant.to.appeal/? Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:51 GMT Microsoft, Yahoo and RealNetworks were hit this week with a copyright infringement suit filed on behalf of the composers of 950 songs offered by the companies through on-demand streaming or downloads that last only for the duration of a subscription. While the amount of damages available under the law if the composers win is very large — as much as $150,000 per violation deemed to be 'willful' — a more likely outcome is a settlement for less than the penny-per-play right recently established for streaming royalties... http://blogs.ft.com/techblog/2009/07/music-copyright-holders-sue-microsoft-yahoo/ Delicious/mbtimes/pticker http://blogs.ft.com/techblog/2009/07/music-copyright-holders-sue-microsoft-yahoo/? Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:47 GMT Michael Jackson's stake in ATV/Sony which owns the copyrights to 251 Beatles songs is facing scrutiny. While his death is still shrouded in mystery, focus is also turning to the star's complicated estate, finances and mounting debts. One of the more lucrative and shrewd investments he made was in ATV Music in 1985... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1195744/Question-mark-Jacksons-stake-500m-company-owns-Beatles-songs.html Delicious/mbtimes/pticker http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1195744/Question-mark-Jacksons-stake-500m-company-owns-Beatles-songs.html? Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:42 GMT The Wall Street Journal reported that Jackson was earning $19 million a year at the time of his death, of which $7 million came from Sony/ATV. Yet Jackson was notorious for burning through cash, and in 2008 was in danger of losing his Neverland ranch in California... http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25697771-5012748,00.html Delicious/mbtimes/pticker http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25697771-5012748,00.html? Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:37 GMT A secret library of over a hundred songs recorded by Michael Jackson could be released following his death. One of the singer's biographers, Ian Halperin, claimed that the unheard songs had been made for his children. Mr Halperin, author of Unmasked, The Michael Jackson Story, said before his death:He wants to... http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6584011.ece Delicious/mbtimes/pticker http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6584011.ece? Sat, 27 Jun 2009 01:47 GMT The finances of Michael Jackson, the pop icon who died this week at age 50, remain largely a mystery after a riches-to-rags story of one of the leading figures in the music world. The music legend may have been a billionaire at the time of his death Thursday but his finances saw a roller-coaster ride that left him... http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Jackson+riches+rags+story+still+mystery/1736661/story.html Delicious/mbtimes/pticker http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Jackson+riches+rags+story+still+mystery/1736661/story.html? Sat, 27 Jun 2009 01:13 GMT Aussie pop icons Men At Work face an anxious wait to find out if they will be stripped of thousands of dollars in royalties from their 1980s smash hit Down Under. The band has been accused of stealing the song's famous flute riff from the children's tune Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree, penned more than 75 years... http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/entertainment/men-at-work-accused-of-music-riff-ripoff-20090626-czpf.html Delicious/mbtimes/pticker http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/entertainment/men-at-work-accused-of-music-riff-ripoff-20090626-czpf.html? Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:58 GMT I don't know of many pundits who think that the digital economy should be a new wild west at all. I think that many of them are actually just focused on preserving individual rights against a constant landgrab by an industry whose history has shown it to not be above removing right after right after right from people. http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090623/1651345334.shtml Delicious/mbtimes/pticker http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090623/1651345334.shtml? Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:25 GMT A Swedish court ruled today that the judge overseeing The Pirate Bay trial earlier this year was not biased by belonging to various pro-copyright organizations. The unanimous decision means that there will be no retrial; the defendants must hope for a successful appeal instead. Judge Tomas Norstrom is a... http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/06/pirate-bay-retrial-denied-judge-declared-unbiased.ars Delicious/mbtimes/pticker http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/06/pirate-bay-retrial-denied-judge-declared-unbiased.ars? Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:16 GMT 'The FBI is a government organization. If we have to wait on them to create a new Anti-Piracy logo for us, it could be months before we are back online and releasing music again,' said Universal Music attorney William Levinson... http://moredigitaler.com/2009/06/24/universal-music-loses-fbi-anti-piracy-logo/ Delicious/mbtimes/pticker http://moredigitaler.com/2009/06/24/universal-music-loses-fbi-anti-piracy-logo/? Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:42 GMT Music publisher EverGreen, now best known as the owners of the 2 Live Crew, Third Eye Blind, MC Hammer and - most importantly - Tupac Shakur catalogues, has just signed a deal with WIDEawake, the Canadian company that acquired the assets of Death Row Records last January. 'After purchasing the Death Row catalog... http://www.craveonline.com/entertainment/music/article/death-row-records-plots-massive-comeback-79325 Delicious/mbtimes/pticker http://www.craveonline.com/entertainment/music/article/death-row-records-plots-massive-comeback-79325? Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:18 GMT Alas, poor CDs and DVDs, we hardly knew ye. After an all-too-brief relationship, your shiny-silver, coaster-size discs are being replaced by an invisible stream of numbers hidden away on some faceless hard drive. Tangible is giving way to convenience. http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090621/ART16/906209966/-1/RSS05 Delicious/mbtimes/pticker http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090621/ART16/906209966/-1/RSS05? Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:13 GMT Chart bosses are considering a huge shake up of the music industry by incorporating the amount of plays on music streaming services into the weekly Top 40 countdown. With largely free services like Spotify and We7 currently all the rage, and a darn site cheaper than buying the MP3, the new chart would offer a more accurate picture of what folks are listening to over the course of the week. However, plays on streaming portals would still carry less weight in than purchases from Apple's iTunes Store and other download sites. The new system is inevitable according to the Official UK Charts Company, but not for at least another year. http://www.t3.com/news/top-40-music-charts-to-include-spotify-streaming-plays?=39253 Delicious/mbtimes/pticker http://www.t3.com/news/top-40-music-charts-to-include-spotify-streaming-plays?=39253? Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:08 GMT Digital sheet music publisher Virtual Sheet Music Inc. is making more than 12,000 audio Mp3 files available to musicians to play accompanied by their computer or iPod, and plans to create Mp3 accompaniment files for all of its high quality digital sheet music titles. Included are previously impossible to find... http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/06/prweb2552504.htm Delicious/mbtimes/pticker http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/06/prweb2552504.htm? Sun, 21 Jun 2009 02:43 GMT ASCAP (the sa­me folks who went after Girl Scouts for singing around a campfire) appears to believe that every time your musical ringtone rings in public, you're violating copyright law by 'publicly performing' it without a license. At least that's the import of a brief it filed in ASCAP's court battle with mobile phone giant AT+T. http://www.cellular-news.com/story/38104.php Delicious/mbtimes/pticker http://www.cellular-news.com/story/38104.php? Sun, 21 Jun 2009 02:39 GMT Thomas may be able to get out of the debt through bankruptcy court, something that was not an option until a recent San Francisco decision. The case, Barboza vs. New Form, made it clear that 'willful violation' is different in civil court than in bankruptcy court. In copyright cases, 'wilful' must imply intent to... http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/18254.cfm Delicious/mbtimes/pticker http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/18254.cfm? Sun, 21 Jun 2009 02:33 GMT Can the sheer size of the damages could lead to a backlash against an industry that is already portrayed in some quarters as overreaching? Sony BMG attorney Wade Leak, who testified at the trial, said he was shocked by the damages award. No one expects that the labels will collect the entire amount from Jammie Thomas... http://www.reuters.com/article/musicNews/idUSTRE55K07E20090621 Delicious/mbtimes/pticker http://www.reuters.com/article/musicNews/idUSTRE55K07E20090621? Sun, 21 Jun 2009 02:30 GMT Under the law the jury could have imposed statutory damages up to $150,000 per work. So perhaps Thomas got off light with a $2m fine instead of the $3.6 million she coulda got. Not exactly. The verdict should be set aside because it is not supported by the evidence. The jury was bound by the terms of Title 17... http://government.zdnet.com/?p=4994 Delicious/mbtimes/pticker http://government.zdnet.com/?p=4994? Sat, 20 Jun 2009 01:06 GMT It's been interesting to see the aftermath of the Jammie Thomas $1.92 million ruling, as it appears that even the RIAA is recognizing that such an insanely large award gives them something of a black-eye and has the possibility of creating a bit of a backlash. However, apparently they forgot to send out that message... http://technews.am/conversations/techdirt/and_of_course_riaa_mouthpieces_defend_1_92_million_judgment Delicious/mbtimes/pticker http://technews.am/conversations/techdirt/and_of_course_riaa_mouthpieces_defend_1_92_million_judgment? Sat, 20 Jun 2009 01:02 GMT Spark Ventures, one of the best-known British survivors of the dot-com boom, received a boost yesterday when the pop star Dave Stewart signed a deal with Kobalt Music Group, one of its portfolio companies. Kobalt, in which Spark has a 27% stake, is an independent music publisher that claims to have revolutionary... http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article6531547.ece Delicious/mbtimes/pticker http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article6531547.ece? Sat, 20 Jun 2009 00:57 GMT Sirius XM will raise its rates by $1.98/month on July 29 to compensate for an increase in music royalty fees, it is telling its customers. Customer-service representatives at its call center said consumers can avoid the increase by signing up for a year’s service or longer. A one-year ... http://www.twice.com/article/CA6666350.html Delicious/mbtimes/pticker http://www.twice.com/article/CA6666350.html? Sat, 20 Jun 2009 00:53 GMT The recording industry lawyers, though clearly pleased, had no desire to showboat this one. The massive damage award, which increased from $9,250 per song in the first trial to $80,000, might sounds like a win, but will probably stoke grassroots anger against the industry's campaign... if the music business tries to... http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/06/jammie-thomas-retrial-verdict.ars Delicious/mbtimes/pticker http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/06/jammie-thomas-retrial-verdict.ars? Sat, 20 Jun 2009 00:38 GMT