Rights

When DMX died on Friday at the age of 50, the iconic Ruff Ryders rapper left behind a legacy of one of the top emcees of the 1990s and 2000s with five Billboard 200 chart-topping albums to his credit. Beyond his cultural impact, that legacy has financial value too — by Billboard’s estimates, royalties for his master recordings and publishing would be valued at $17.7 million.

Source: How Much Are DMX’s Royalties Worth?

In the years since PIPA/SOPA, the entire internet and digital copyright ecosystem has changed. Simultaneously, traditional lines dividing content creator industries and tech-heavy startups have blurred, creating more shared interests and equities. Several internet platforms have evolved their business models and are now original content creators themselves.

Source: The Dawn of a New Era for Copyright Online | The Regulatory Review

Streaming giants have prompted a fundamental shift towards non-English scripted content conquering more global eyeballs, says Guy Bisson of London-based Ampere Analysis. Although he points out that this trend was “well underway before COVID came along,” within this scenario, shows from continental Europe are now making “unprecedented inroads.”

Source: From ‘Lupin’ to ‘Winx Club,’ European IP Is Highly Coveted by Streamers

Blockbuster deals for the songs of such superstars Dylan, the Beach Boys, Neil Young, Stevie Nicks and Paul Simon, and popular hitmakers including Shakira and Calvin Harris have been announced so rapidly that it might feel like hammering out these multimillion-dollar sales at multiples that seemed impossible a few years ago has become a pro-forma process for the players involved. Don’t be deceived.

Source: The Ins-and-Outs of Music Catalog Sales and the Behind-the-Scenes Players Advising Songwriters Who Cash Out

Another US-based investment firm has unveiled plans to pour ten figures of fresh money into the music business, as Dallas-based Outlander Fund and Netherlands-based CTM BV announce a strategic alliance to acquire music publishing and master rights. The partnership has already acquired over 1,000 songs from TEN Music Group, including hits by Rihanna and Shakira.

Source: Another $1bn washes into the music business, as CTM partners with US fund to buy publishing and master rights

Under the terms of its program, which PRH began more than a year ago, libraries have the option to license e-books and digital audio for one-year terms at a 50% prorated price as an alternative to the existing two-year term (for e-books) or perpetual access (for digital audio).

Source: PRH Extends Temporary E-book, Digital Audio Terms for Libraries

Netflix has emerged the winner of a nearly two-year auction for the exclusive U.S. rights to stream Sony Pictures’ theatrical releases in the first pay TV window starting with the studio’s 2022 slate. Netflix has also set a first-look agreement with Sony for all of the studio’s original movies produced for the direct-to-streaming market.

Source: Sony Pictures Moves Movie Output Deal From Starz to Netflix in Rich Pact

Tencent-owned music streaming platform JOOX has inked a licensing agreement with Merlin, the global digital rights agency for the world’s independent label sector. The agreement licenses Merlin content via JOOX’s ad-supported and premium tiers, as well as its karaoke feature and library in Asia including Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand, as well as South Africa.

Source: Tencent-owned music streaming service JOOX inks licensing deal with Merlin

Popular adult video site Pornhub has released a transparency report showing how it responds to problematic content. Last year, more than half a million pieces of content were taken down following DMCA notices. In addition, Pornhub also deployed an automatic upload filter that caught more than 100,000 videos before they went online.

Source: Pornhub’s Upload Filter Blocked Over 100K ‘Pirated’ Videos in 2020 * TorrentFreak

The short-form video-sharing app announced today that it had inked multi-year licensing deals with the Johannesburg-based Southern African Music Rights Organization (SAMRO), which bills itself as “South Africa’s music rights champion,” as well as the Composers Authors and Publishers Association (CAPASSO).

Source: TikTok Is Now Paying Musicians and Songwriters In South Africa