Wednesday, September 30, 2009

What Does Sound Exchange Do?

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Petition To Bolster Artist Rights To Be Delivered To Obama

A letter to President Barack Obama and VP Joe Biden asking the administration to pursue policies supportive of the rights of artists has garnered nearly 7,000 electronic signatures, according to the Copyright Alliance.

"Artists and creators make important contributions not only to our society and culture, but also to our economy," the Copyright Alliance director of outreach Lucinda Dugger, said in a statement. "Increasingly, creators are finding their work misappropriated, reproduced and distributed without their knowledge, consent or benefit by those who believe intellectual property should be free for the taking. It is important that creators speak up about their works and how the principle of copyright empowers and provides incentive for creators to earn a living with their talents and ideas." more

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Why ASCAP Licenses Local Bars & Restaurants –10 Things You Need to Know

Imagine this scenario.

A local bar or restaurant uses music to enhance the atmosphere and draw in customers. No one wants to sit in silence. And live music pulls in a nice crowd that spends money at the bar.

The owners never question the need for a liquor license. But it's a different story when it comes to the license required to play music under copyright.

The owners dispute the need to pay. They say music is not generating revenue for them. They try to push off responsibility to the band. They claim they can't afford a license that might amount to a few hundred dollars a year. They say they'll just stop playing music altogether. more...

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Eminem's Music Publisher Takes Apple To Court

Eminem's music publisher wants a bigger slice from Apple.

Eight Mile Style LLC and a co-plaintiff, Martin Affiliated LLC, are suing Apple Inc., claiming they never authorized the use of 93 songs in a downloadable format on Apple's popular iTunes service.

The non-jury trial is expected to start Thursday in the rapper's hometown of Detroit, unless a settlement is reached Wednesday with the help of U.S. Magistrate Judge Virginia Morgan.

Eight Mile is also suing Aftermath Records, which controls the recordings in question, saying it didn't have the right to make deals on digital downloads. more

The Fray Sues Manager Over Copyrights To Songs

The Fray songwriting duo of Joseph King and Isaac Slade are suing their manager over the copyrights to their songs.

King and Slade wrote the 2005 hits "Over My Head (Cable Car)" and "How to Save a Life," and the current hit "You Found Me." They say manager Gregg Latterman obtained partial ownership of their songs when the band members signed a publishing agreement in July 2005  more