Today (Aug. 24), Good Folk Music Management founder Jordan Mattison and New York-based digital agency Coalesce announced the wide release of its new free royalty calculator Good Splits, which aims to simplify the calculation and distribution of song royalties for artists and creators.
Source: Good Splits Launches New Royalty Calculator For Artists and Creators
Global recording industry trade organization IFPI has worked with its German national group, BVMI, to take action against five leading websites in Germany which manipulate music streams in exchange for payment. Today (Aug. 24), the two groups announced that German courts have issued injunctions ordering each site’s operator to cease its service.
Source: Record Industry Groups Take Action Against Fake Music Streams in Germany
In a blog post on Monday, Google said the code was “unworkable” but admitted it would not be able to escape the code as it did in Spain – where the news feed was switched off – because the proposed code was so broadly defined. “If we show Australians any content from any ‘news publisher’ (defined to include any ‘website’) in the world, we must also show all news content of news businesses registered under the code,” Google said.
Source: Google protests ‘unworkable’ ACCC code for digital platforms to pay news media companies
After American University in Washington, DC made the decision to move classes online this semester in response to the pandemic, it sent teaching staff guidance about how their work would change. When Aram Sinnreich, a media professor at AU specializing in intellectual property, received the documents, he naturally decided to check out the copyright provisions. What he found was strange.
Source: University staff are worried their recorded lectures will be used against them
An anti-piracy group representing publishers in Russia has filed a complaint against Google with the European Commission. According to the letter, Google fails to remove piracy-enabling apps from Google Play, creating barriers to entry for legal platforms. The complaint, however, is far from straightforward.
Business-to-business cloud-based music streaming service Soundtrack Your Brand and Universal Music Group (UMG) have inked a global licensing deal, excluding China. Founded in 2013 Soundtrack Your Brand claims to be “the world’s fastest-growing B2B music streaming service” and works with brands such as McDonald’s, Lululemon, J Crew, Uniqlo, Joe & The Juice, Aesop, W Hotels.
Source: Universal inks global licensing deal with B2B music streaming service Soundtrack Your Brand
A federal judge has handed a victory to Lizzo, the Grammy-winning R&B and pop star, in a bitter fight over copyright and songwriting credit in Lizzo’s breakthrough hit, “Truth Hurts.” The judge ruled that just because a group of songwriters worked on one “DNA test” song with Lizzo doesn’t mean they have a claim to another.
The film’s uneven worldwide release pattern is a result of the adventure epic having been rescheduled multiple times. When it does open in the U.S., it’s unclear if moviegoers in major markets like New York City, Los Angeles or San Francisco, where cinemas remain closed, will even be able to see it on the big screen. That could spur more demand for pirated copies.
Source: Why Christopher Nolan’s ‘Tenet’ Represents a Big Piracy Risk Around the World
Though TikTok’s future in the U.S. remains uncertain, the company announced this morning its first music distribution partnership, with indie music distributor UnitedMasters. The deal will allow artists on TikTok to tap into the platform’s ability to make their music go viral, then distribute their songs directly to other music streaming services, like Spotify, Apple Music/iTunes, SoundCloud, and YouTube.
Source: TikTok announces a deal with UnitedMasters, its first music distribution partnership
Google has attacked a new Australian law forcing tech giants to pay local news outlets – saying it could threaten search services in the country. In an open letter, the firm warned that its YouTube and Search features could be “dramatically worse” if new rules were brought in. It also added that users’ data could be shared. But the Australian competition regulator said Google’s letter was “misinformation”.