The Lesson of Blurred Lines
In November, Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams were ordered to pay $5.3 million to the Marvin Gaye estate for infringing Gaye’s Got To Give it Up in their 2013 Blurred Lines single. Thicke and...
View ArticleBowie’s Bonds: An Appreciation
David Bowie is a legend in more ways than one. In the 1970s his on stage alter egos could have been shunned; instead, they shattered conventions and then they were embraced. It was Bowie’s persona, his...
View ArticleCompromising Moral Rights
Copyright law is based on property law. It evolved over time and recognized more and more economic rights, such as those of music creators to collect on sound recordings and public performances. But...
View ArticleThe Billboard Power 100
One could do worse than write a history of the business from the pages of Billboard’s Power 100 rankings. This year the venerable music industry weekly has added thirty-nine new executives to its list,...
View ArticleKesha’s Quagmire
The recent Kesha-Sony lawsuit has struck a nerve across the music industry by highlighting personal abuse and issues of gender inequality. It has also raised questions about the contractual control...
View ArticleThe Non-Profit Dance
Coverage of music industry news tends to follow, as this Journal does, the for profit sector. Corporate market leaders, like Apple, Spotify, and Live Nation, get special coverage on a regular basis....
View ArticleThe Life of Prince
Elvis Presley had the Pompadour, James Brown had the cape, and John Lennon had circular-rimmed sunglasses. Prince Rogers Nelson wore the color purple. Every iconic musician since the 1950’s has adopted...
View ArticleGross Margin Blues
There has been a lot of excitement around streaming lately. At the end of last year, Apple launched their own service that amassed over ten million users in just three months. Despite the competition,...
View ArticleThe Drama of Artist Payments
In recent times, artists/songwriters, who once made their living recording and writing songs, have been severely affected by the slump in royalty revenue coming from labels, publishers, and rights...
View ArticleYouTube’s Value Gap
In the beginning of the XXth Century music consumption did not compare with today. Music publishers, for instance, were used to generate revenue mostly through the commercialization of printed sheet...
View ArticleConsent and Songwriters’ Rights
In June, the United States Department of Justice both denied a review of ASCAP and BMI’s consent decrees and extended the reach of the decrees to eliminate the traditional practice of fractional...
View ArticleBrexit and the Music Industry
On June 23rd 2016, the U.K. voted in favor of leaving the European Union. The referendum put the majority at 52%, with England and Wales in favor and Scotland and Northern Ireland against. The turnout...
View ArticleThe Lesson of Blurred Lines
In November, Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams were ordered to pay $5.3 million to the Marvin Gaye estate for infringing Gaye’s Got To Give it Up in their 2013 Blurred Lines single. Thicke and...
View ArticleSponsorship Lift Off
Not too long ago, recorded music sales were a dependable source of income for labels and their artists. Earnings from live music shows added substantially to physical sale of product, so in the...
View ArticleExclusivity and Its Limits
Major labels are pushing for the end of exclusive deals with streaming services as they are quickly realizing such a practice hinders the potential profit of their artists’ biggest albums and creates...
View ArticleSongwriters vs. the DOJ
Federal law governs the licensing of music and songwriter collections. In particular, sound compositions that are broadcasted over the public airways or performed in commercial venues have to be...
View ArticleManagers of The World – Unite!
Managers across the world are coming together to form communities where they can network and stay informed about current issues. Getting their artists to sign a record label contract is no longer the...
View ArticleLive Music and Brexit’s Cliffhanger
Thinking about Brexit’s fallout on the music industry has never been more urgent. Coverage in trade portals like the Billboard and Pitchfork is rising to a fever pitch. The general media, measured by...
View ArticleMusic’s Quantitative Methods
Today, recommendation engines designed to curate the perfect individual playlist are redefining both the demand and supply side of the music industry, affecting how listeners judge music and how...
View ArticleA Paul McCartney / Sony-ATV Brief
On January 18, 2017, Paul McCartney filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court, Southern District of New York, against Sony/ATV Music Publishing (SATV). The action, pursuant to section 304 (c)...
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