Though the incidents have been documented on a number of platforms, OpenSea, the world’s largest NFT marketplace, is at the center of the current controversy, with high-profile creators such as RJ Palmer and Loish taking to social media to denounce the thefts. Many artists say their work was initially seized from DeviantArt, a popular online art community that has over 70 million registered users and half a billion pieces of art.
Source: Artists Say Plagiarized NFTs Are Plaguing Their Community
AI tools can already create entirely new music from scratch, from apps that produce automated lyrics to others that write the chords and instrumentation. Just as computers and mobile phones have democratized the distribution and recording of music, its proponents say that AI makes the process of music creation available to everyone. It could also have some unforeseen negative effects, according to its detractors.
Source: How music AI could create a future Grammy award winner
A new survey by Morgan Stanley reveals that Spotify is the fastest-growing music service in the United States. It is also now the most popular platform for podcast listening. From 2019 to 2021, the streaming giant’s share of the average American’s listening hours increased from 7 per cent to 10 per cent, well behind AM/FM radio and YouTube, but strong among younger consumers who will make up the bulk of listeners over the next decade.
The U.S. Copyright Office has launched a public consultation to evaluate various technical measures that can identify and protect copyrighted content online. With help from various stakeholders and the public at large, the Office hopes to get a better understanding of the pros and cons of these tools, including upload filters, and the potential role of the Government.
Source: U.S. Govt Launches Consultation on Upload Filters and Other Anti-Piracy Tools * TorrentFreak
New streamers Paramount+ and HBO Max saw large gains in purchase consideration intent in a year that saw muted growth on that indicator, due to the pandemic dynamics, reports Morning Consult. The rankings were determined by measuring the share who said they were considering purchasing from each brand between October 1-October 26, 2021 and subtracting the share who said the same between January 1 – January 31, 2021.
At present, networks, studios and streamers can hold writers and talent under exclusive deals for anywhere from nine months to more than a year in some cases, per standard series agreement deals. That prevents them from booking other jobs in that time without a complicated process of approvals, hindering scribes’ ability to chase other job opportunities.
Source: How Exclusive Contracts Leave Writers and Actors Scrambling to Navigate Supercharged Job Market
What do you call a podcast that presents a single, fictional story in 90 minutes? It might feel like a movie but clearly isn’t one. It recalls midcentury radio drama but involves no radio. Whatever the new form’s ultimate name, the content has arrived. This fall, Cadence13 released its first two “podcast movies”: “Treat,” a Halloween teen horror story starring Kiernan Shipka, and “Ghostwriter,” a psychological thriller led by Kate Mara and Adam Scott.
Source: ‘Podcast Movies’? Feature-Length Fiction Stretches the Medium
In theory, NFTs give creators the ability to set their own terms—including on resale royalties. But it’s important to remember we are dealing with extremely new technology. As a result, there are plenty of ways for buyers to skirt the rules. Chief among them: NFT marketplaces are not yet interoperable.
Source: Can I Earn Royalties Anytime Someone Resells My NFT? + Other Artists’-Rights Questions, Answered
On Monday (December 20), US performance rights organization SoundExchange secured a legal victory in a royalties battle with US television service Music Choice. The court decided that the case will be referred to the Copyright Royalties Board (CRB), rather than it being heard in Federal court. SoundExchange launched a lawsuit against Music Choice to recover underpaid royalties in April 2019, following an audit of Music Choice’s royalty statements.
Source: SoundExchange royalties dispute with Music Choice to be referred to Copyright Royalty Board
BMG and KKR have put their recently announced partnership to work, acquiring the “entire music interests” of long-running American rock band ZZ Top for a sum sources place at around $50 million. The agreement includes a buyout of the band’s publishing catalogue and their income from recorded royalties and performance royalties. Previously, BMG served as co-publisher and administrator of ZZ Top’s publishing catalog.
Source: ZZ Top Sells Catalog to BMG and KKR for Around $50 Million