John Fogerty announced the music-IP buyout today, indicating that the transaction covers “a majority interest of the worldwide publishing rights” to the historic CCR song catalog. “As of this January, I own my own songs again,” Berkeley-born Fogerty said of his deal with Concord. “This is something I thought would never be a possibility. After 50 years, I am finally reunited with my songs.”
Source: John Fogerty Buys Back Creedence Clearwater Revival Catalog
Sir Lucian Grainge, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, has said the way music streaming services pay labels and artists today has to change. “There is a growing disconnect between, on the one hand, the devotion to those artists whom fans value and seek to support and, on the other, the way subscription fees are paid by the platforms. Under the current model, the critical contributions of too many artists, as well as the engagement of too many fans, are undervalued.”
Source: Sir Lucian Grainge: Music needs a new streaming payout model… and we’re working on it.
For years, Big Radio has followed the same cynical formula. Convince lawmakers to sign on to a symbolic, non-binding resolution that labels performance royalties – otherwise known as payments to artists for their hard work – as a “tax.” Then have the audacity to insist that music creators accept the no-payments status quo as “mutually beneficial.” And finally, they’d claim that having to pay royalties would devastate small broadcasters.
Source: ‘Artists won’t stop fighting until large broadcast corporations pay fairly for music.’
Rights management provider Intertrust today announced its collaboration with Music Securities, a leading independent financial services company, to create a more democratic music rights marketplace providing the creator economy with new sources of revenue. “Artists who own their master recording rights will receive a fair share of the proceeds of their sales, and transfer their rights to tap into significant revenue streams,” said Masami Komatsu, Music Securities’ CEO.
While there has been relatively little litigation concerning tattoo copyrights, 2023 could be the year that changes. The watershed moment for a new era in tattoo copyright litigation came in 2022. In Alexander v. Take-Two Interactive Software, et al., tattoo artist Catherine Alexander sued the defendants in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, asserting copyright infringement arising from the defendant’s allegedly unauthorized use of her tattoo designs in their WWE 2K video game series.
Source: This Year is Poised to Be a Landmark One for Tattoo Copyright Litigation
Don Henley, Sheryl Crow, Sting and a slew of other musicians are throwing their support behind a new federal copyright rule aimed at making sure that songwriters who regain control of their music actually start getting paid their streaming royalties after they do so. In a letter Thursday, the Music Artists Coalition urged the Copyright Office to grant final approval for the proposed rule, warning that “music creators must not be deprived of the rights afforded to them by copyright law.”
Source: Hundreds of Artists Push for Copyright Rule Change On Streaming Royalties: ‘We Stand Together’
A proposed class-action lawsuit filed Thursday by rap duo Black Sheep accused Universal Music Group of unlawfully lowering artists’ royalty payments from Spotify after signing an “undisclosed, sweetheart deal” with the streaming service. Andres Titus and William McLean told a Manhattan federal court that the label has withheld nearly $750 million owed to its artists after agreeing to reduced payments from Spotify in exchange for company stock.
Source: Lawsuit claims UMG cut artists’ royalties under secret Spotify deal
The “Looney Tunes” and “Flintstones” content was licensed to HBO Max from Warner Bros. under an intra-company deal. Those licensing agreements expired at the end of 2022 and HBO Max did not renew them, as it seeks to reduce content expenses. It’s unclear whether the “Looney Tunes” and “Flintstones” content that is no longer on HBO Max will be available other streaming platforms.
Source: HBO Max Removes 256 ‘Looney Tunes’ Shorts, Three Seasons of ‘The Flintstones’
Source: Fans Search for Coveted Film Merch—Five Decades After a Movie’s Release
The Copyright Royalty Board approved a new settlement for streaming royalties owed to songwriters for the period of 2023-2027. This ruling sets the rates for Subpart C and D of the five year period known as Phonorecords IV (or “Phono IV” for short), and it represents a compromise between the music industry and the streaming services, creating certainty around the royalties owed to songwriters for U.S. mechanicals.
Source: Songwriters’ New Streaming Royalties Approved Before the New Year