Songwriters Losing Out in the Music Streaming Gap

According to recent stats from Nielsen Music, digital download music sales are plummeting while streaming continues to boom. During the last week in August, digital downloads in the U.S. plummeted to 15.66 million – its lowest weekly volume since 2007 – whereas on-demand audio and video streams rose to 6.6 billion – its highest weekly volume ever. Learn More

CMC and c3 Collaborate to Respond 
to the NY Times

Steven Johnson (“The Creative Apocalypse That Wasn’t,” New York Times Magazine, August 23rd) is correct in his claim that technology has made more opportunities available to music writers and performers. But he fails to ask–or even acknowledge–the most important question: are writers and performers properly sharing in the gargantuan revenue generated by their music. The answer to that question is, unequivocally, no. Learn More

Sony-Spotify Contract Confirms:
Music Creators' Work Generates Huge Streaming Revenue
Never Shared With Them

Over the last year the music industry has been in flux as artists, labels, and streaming services jockey over the best way to build the future of their business. Taylor Swift pulled her catalog from Spotify; Tidal launched a new platform owned by artists, not record companies; and Apple is preparing to muscle in on the market with its own offering. The one thing missing from much of this discussion has been the details on how deals get done between these groups, but that is no longer the case. Learn More.

Fight Over Sony Music's Streaming Income May Be Headed To Appeals Court

On Monday, an attorney for an American Idol-affiliated record company asked a federal judge in New York for permission to take a dispute over streaming income for artists such as Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken and Carrie Underwood to an appeals court. 19 Recordings sued Sony Music in February 2014, and among the plaintiff's claims was that streaming music was being treated as "sales" or "distributions" rather than as "broadcasts" or "transmissions." By accounting for income off of platforms like Spotify this way, Sony was paying over much less in royalties than was allegedly due. Learn More.

Revenge of the Record Labels: 
How the Majors Renewed Their Grip on Music

Last October SoundCloud–a free music-streaming service with a massive 175 million monthly users–appeared to be running out of cash. News broke that the Berlin-based company had lost $29.2 million in 2013, and when a rumored $2 billion buyout bid by Twitter fell through, it looked like music’s hottest startup might be in danger of going bust. Learn more.

World's Songwriters and Composers Put Publishers On Notice About Direct Licenses 

Music Creators Dispute Publishers' Unilateral
Right to Directly License Public Performances

A coalition of music creator organizations from around the world has given notice to American music publishers that songwriters and composers are reserving their right to challenge public performance licenses issued by publishers directly to music users. The organizations state that many songwriter agreements stipulate that the writer's share of performance royalties shall be collected and paid to them only by the Performing Rights Organization (PRO) of their choice, while other agreements, particularly those of foreign writers, clearly prohibit publishers from directly licensing any public performances.  The groups assert that the withdrawal of repertoire from PROs without the knowledge or consent of writers may not have a legal foundation, and today are urging their members to speak out. Learn more. 

The Copyright Office has issued its
report on music licensing.
Wait 'till you hear what they said about songwriters!

For more than a year, the Copyright Office solicited comments about how music licensing was (or wasn't) working for everyone involved. Now they've issued their report, and it has some very good news for all songwriters and composers. Learn more. 
 

Department of Justice To Review ASCAP and BMI Consent Decrees

Responding to ever-increasing pressure from music creators and the organizations, like CMC, that represent them, the US Department of Justice has just announced that it will review the consent decrees under which the two largest American performing rights organizations operate.

Read more on our Learn More page and be sure to check out CMC Issues of Importance.

Comments on the Copyright Law
Submitted by the Council of Music Creators

Responding to ever-increasing pressure from music creators and the organizations, like CMC, that represent them, the US Department of Justice has just announced that it will review the consent decrees under which the two largest American performing rights organizations operate.

Read more on our Learn More page and be sure to check out CMC Issues of Importance.
"Our primary mission is to promote and strengthen the right of music creators to control the use of our work and to share fairly in its exploitation. We recognize that changes in the music business are inevitable, and we embrace those that help us reach wider audiences, increase respect for our art, and improve transparency within our business." READ MORE

Songwriters Equity Act Introduced in the Senate

On Monday, May 12, our colleagues at the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) hosted a press conference at which three United States Senators announced that they have introduced this important bill in the upper chamber. It joins the SEA proposed in the House of Representatives.
Learn More:
​Songwriters Lose in Streaming
Statement on the Copyright Report
U.S. Copyright Law Revision
The Consent Decree
The Culture of Collaboration
Music Creators Put Publishers On Notice
The History of Pandora
The Impact of Pandora
Perspective on Pandora
Collective v. Direct Licensing
Sample Songwriter Split Letter
Music needs a pure, unified voice.
The time is NOW, the reason is YOU, the voice is the CMC.