The company says it delivered USD $9 billion last year to recipients across record companies and music publishers, plus independent distributors, performance rights organizations, and collecting societies. According to Spotify, the $9 billion figure means that its annual payouts to music rightsholders have “nearly tripled in the past six years”.
Rights
Spotify Paying Audiobook Publishers ‘Tens of Millions’ of Dollars
Spotify has paid audiobook publishers “tens of million” since the launch of audiobooks on the platform’s premium subscription last year in the US, UK, and Australia. And at the top of that list sits Britney Spears’ memoir, “The Woman in Me,” the most listened to book on the service. The Stockholm-headquartered audio streaming giant says users have listened to over 90,000 unique titles from the platform’s catalog.
Source: Spotify Paying Audiobook Publishers ‘Tens of Millions’ of Dollars
Industry Players Back Universal Music in TikTok Dispute
Amid the Universal Music-TikTok licensing dispute, industry companies and organizations are coming out in support of the major label. The likes of the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) and Downtown Music are backing Universal Music Group (UMG) in the much-publicized disagreement, which, as we reported, kicked off with an open letter last week.
Source: Industry Players Back Universal Music in TikTok Dispute
Warner Music CEO Believes Universal Impasse Will Be Resolved
Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl said his company remains happy with their deal with TikTok and he believes the social media platform and Universal Music Group will also come to an agreement. “Our deal was very difficult too, but we got there and, for us, it was fair, but it was a year ago. It was also a different time. So I don’t know what is driving Universal’s positions, but if there’s any way we can help them, we will, and I’m confident they’ll sort it out,” he continued.
Source: Warner Music CEO Says Their Deal With TikTok Is “Fair,” Believes Universal Impasse Will Be Resolved
Digital watermarks combined with AI will speed up copyright infringement cases: Study
The technology would enhance the assessment of data about potential breaches and make it easier for lawsuits to be be brought. It will also lead to more evidence being available to the courts. But the increasing use of watermarking—which makes it easier to detect copying—and AI is also likely to mean a proliferation of small-scale disputes, experts have warned.
Source: Digital watermarks combined with AI will speed up copyright infringement cases, study says
Indie labels cry foul over Apple Music’s enhanced spatial audio royalties
As first reported by the Financial Times, independent labels Beggars Group, Secretly Group, and Partisan Records are pushing back against Apple’s preferential payouts for spatial audio. They say independent artists who can’t afford to record in spatial audio would make less because of how streaming music payouts work. Apple said artists on Apple Music can get bonuses of up to 10 percent for creating music with spatial audio.
Source: Indie labels cry foul over Apple Music’s enhanced spatial audio royalties
IFPI Voices Support for EU’s AI Act Ahead of Key Vote
The IFPI has joined a number of other organizations in voicing support for the EU’s AI Act ahead of a key vote on February 2nd. The organization, besides approximately 200 others from throughout “Europe’s creative and cultural sectors,” today penned the corresponding letter backing the AI Act. At present, the signatories’ desired outcome is Coreper approval of the bill.
Source: IFPI Voices Support for EU’s AI Act Ahead of Key Vote
US Copyright Office launches review of The MLC and DLC’s designations
The US Copyright Office has initiated the first five-year review of two music licensing entities established by the Music Modernization Act of 2018: The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) and the Digital Licensee Coordinator (DLC). The law reformed mechanical licensing through the creation of MLC, a nonprofit organization that facilitates royalty payments to songwriters and publishers for the use of their works by digital music services in the US.
Source: US Copyright Office launches review of The MLC and DLC’s designations
Lawmakers propose anti-nonconsensual AI porn bill after Taylor Swift controversy
The bipartisan bill builds on a provision in the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022, which added a similar right of action for non-faked explicit images. In a summary, the sponsors described it as a response to an “exponentially” growing volume of digitally manipulated explicit AI images, referencing Taylor Swift’s case as an example of how the fakes can be “used to exploit and harass women — particularly public figures, politicians, and celebrities.”
Source: Lawmakers propose anti-nonconsensual AI porn bill after Taylor Swift controversy
Universal Music Group Warns It Will Pull Songs From TikTok After Deal Expiration
Universal Music Group, one of the largest music companies in the world, said it failed to reach new deal terms with TikTok over issues including artist compensation and AI — and that TikTok tried to “bully” UMG into a deal worth less than its previous pact. As such, Universal Music said it will no longer license content to the app.
Source: Universal Music Group Warns It Will Pull Songs From TikTok After Deal Expiration