One Of Many Online Music Royalty Rates Settled (For Now)
from the keeping-it-straight dept
The copyright system was never designed for modern technology -- which is why every time some new technology comes along, there are all these legal battles until some awful patch (often in the form of compulsory licensing) is applied. However, because there have been so many new technology changes over the years, and so many different people demanding a piece of the pie, these days the compulsory licensing and royalty process for any sort of music licensing is so complex that almost no one can actually understand what's going on. At any moment there are a bunch of different battles over the various rates that should be used, and over whether or not they apply to some new technology. One of those many battles has come to at least a temporary settlement, as seven years of fighting over mechanical royalty rates on interactive streaming and limited download services have been agreed to by all parties involved. The RIAA put out some PR happy quote about how this will "support innovative business models." Sorry, but when you're talking about a seven-year dispute to work out these rates, you've probably already killed off those innovative business models.
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Filed Under: compulsory licensing, copyright, music, royalties
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[shrug]
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Its too late for some.
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Re: Its too late for some.
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Interesting lack of reaction
This is somewhat more controversial (imho) in that this is a tax (for all intent and purpose) on internet music stations (and similar) by the licensing body in the US, and it is doubtful that much of this money will actually get to artists and yet there is very little in the way of comments (save the 5 preceding comments)
I guess if the money isn't coming out of your pocket?
I am opposed to this fee more than others for the simple reason that radio stations (real and virtual) actually do a lot of good towards promoting artists...so
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Re: Interesting lack of reaction
cheers,
K
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