Originally Posted By: Jim
This thread is pretty interesting...
But it sounds like one of those problems that has no a solution...
Unless all songwriters & artists banded together to create their own streaming & licensing services...
Bypassing the current system...




Unfortunately songwriters can't do that.

For every recording, there are actually two copyrights. The underlying work, the "words & music" song, called the circle-C; and the sound recording itself, which is the circle-R. Labels/artist operate in a more free market environment. When Taylor Swift pulled her music off of Spotify, for example, she pulled the circle-R's. She just happened to be the songwriter, so the underlying works went with them.

As a songwriter, I don't have the right to pull my songs off of Spotify, iTunes, or any other legal site or service, because the circle-C is a compulsory license. That means even if I don't agree with what they're paying me, I still have to license the songs (as long as it's at the statutory rate).

Because labels & artists have the autonomy of the circle-R rules, they have the ability to negotiate and, if necessary, pull music from content providers. The reason you don't see that happen more frequently is because if you look deep enough, you'll find out that much of the stock of the large streaming companies is owned by (wait for it) Sony, Warner Bros., Universal, etc.

The recently passed Music Modernization Act is a big step forward for songwriters, but it is far from the needed fix. It's sort of a deal where we say "well it's still terrible but it's better than it was".

The digital companies historically have undervalued and under appreciated the content they distribute. They believe (I've had someone actually tell me this) that their technology has more value than the music they distribute/stream. In actuality, they are a retail store, where consumers can get the product they want (music). But the retail stores don't want to have to pay for the products they are selling on a pass-through basis. They somehow think they should get it free, and then make all the money off it themselves (gross oversimplification here, but effectively accurate).

A recent ruling by the CRB (copyright royalty board) increased digital rates paid to songwriters over 40%, which is still woefully inadequate. The digital companies, led by Amazon & Spotify, are appealing that decision. It's a never-ending battle apparently.

http://www.rogerbrownsongs.com
http://www.nashvillesongwriters.com/roger-brown