A coalition of lobbying groups and mega-corporations have joined in fellowship to fight efforts that would see a rise in payments to musicians and content creators from broadcast radio and online music services.
As Hypebot reports, the push to increase royalty payments to musicians and songwriters, and to revamp copyright laws that many agree are outdated, has recently started to gather momentum as the music industry ventures into the next decade.
New legislation is currently being overlooked by key regulatory bodies in US courts, as performance rights group BMI continues to fight streaming giant Pandora over royalty payments, with the battle recently shifting to Capitol Hill.
Naturally, it was only a matter of time before the stakeholders who would actually have to pay the higher rates banded together to combat the movement. Pandora now have some serious muscle in their corner.
Calling themselves “a diverse group of music lovers and users” the MIC Coalition, which stands for Music. Innovation. Consumers., comprises some of the largest corporate consumers and distributors of music, who’ve joined together “to ensure a thriving future for music.”
The membership is a who’s who of corporate America, including Amazon, American Hotel & Lodging Association, Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA), Cox Media Group, Digital Media Association (DiMA), Google, and iHeartMedia.
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Also included are KLOVE, National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), the National Council of Chain Restaurants (NCCR), the National Restaurant Association (NRA), the National Retail Federation (NRF), Salem Media Group, surprisingly, National Public Radio (NPR), and less surprisingly, Pandora Radio.
However, few are buying the MIC’s concerns for a thriving future for music. “They can’t hide their true agenda behind lofty statements of principle when their actions speak so loud and clear,” said the MusicFirst Coalition in a statement.
“And they can’t beat the people who create music and those who love it in the drive for Fair Play, Fair Pay.” While we’re inclined to agree with MusicFirst, the MIC members certainly have a few lawyers between them and plenty of money to throw around.
