American industry welcomes the launch of radio royalty proposals in US Senate
The American record industry has welcomed the introduction of formal proposals in the US Senate that would force AM and FM radio stations in the country to start paying royalties to artists and record labels for the first time. The bipartisan American Music Fairness Act - introduced by Republican Senator Marcia Blackburn and Democrat Alex Padilla - mirrors the proposals already on the table in the US House Of Representatives.

US copyright law is unusual in that the sound recording copyright does not provide the same level of control to a copyright owner as the song copyright does. Basically the owner of a sound recording in the US does not have control over the broadcast or public performance of their music, which is why AM/FM radio stations don't need a licence from or to pay royalties to the record industry.

They do need licences on the songs side though, which they get from the American song right collecting societies like BMI and ASCAP.

In most of the rest of the world, licences are required and royalties are due on both the recordings and songs side whenever radio stations broadcast music, so in the UK a broadcaster gets a licence from the record industry's collecting society PPL as well as the UK equivalent of BMI and ASCAP, ie good old PRS.

Because the principle of performer equitable remuneration applies with this revenue stream, 50% of the monies paid over by radio stations flows directly to artists, including session musicians, oblivious of any deals they did with a record label when a recording was made.

There is a digital performance right as part of the sound recording copyright in the US, which means that online and satellite radio services do need to get a licence and pay royalties, which they would usually do via the collecting society SoundExchange.

As a result, not only does the US system mean American labels and artists miss out on a revenue stream that is pretty standard everywhere else, but online and satellite radio services are at a disadvantage to more traditional broadcasters.

The record industry has been campaigning for reforms to US copyright law, so to bring it in line with the rest of the world, for decades now. The American Music Fairness Act is the latest manifestation of that campaign. The House Of Representatives version was launched by Republican Darrell Issa and Democrat Ted Deutch in June last year.

Needless to say, the American radio industry - which is a powerful group in Washington - continues to oppose the introduction of any new royalty. It continues to use the same main argument that has been employed for decades, ie radio airplay is free promo for artists and labels, and therefore the record industry is already getting a commercial benefit.

It was never a great argument, especially with stations that exclusively play older music which, in the main - and certainly in the pre-digital age - the record industry wasn't actively selling and therefore didn't need any promo support for. But it's become an ever weaker argument as radio airplay has slipped down the marketing priority list of most labels releasing new music.

Presumably aware of that, the radio industry lobby also now usually talks about the possible negative impact any new royalty obligation would have on smaller radio stations that are truly local and truly independent. Though that argument isn't always so credible either when it's mainly being used by the lobbyists of major media groups like iHeart, Audacy and Cumulus.

Supporters of the American Music Fairness Act also insist that the proposals are designed to mitigate the impact on the smaller broadcasters.

Music industry campaign group MusicFirst stated yesterday: "The bill would require AM/FM radio stations whose gross annual revenue is greater than $1.5 million - or stations owned by parent companies whose annual revenue tops $10 million - to pay the artists whose songs they play to fill their airwaves. The bill also includes broad exemptions and low annual flat fees for smaller stations and public, college and noncommercial broadcasters".

musicFIRST also says that a survey it commissioned shows a majority of Americans - around 70% in fact - support AM/FM radio stations paying royalties to artists and labels. Though the National Association Of Broadcasters is hoping that it enjoys majority support where it really matters, Congress.

In recent years the NAB has encouraged Congress members to sign up as sponsors of what it calls the Local Radio Freedom Act, which is basically a way of getting those politicians to publicly oppose the introduction of any new royalty for artists and labels.

Last month the trade group announced that 222 members of the current House Of Representatives - ie more than half - have now signed up. The not-really-an-act-at-all also had the support of 28 senators at that point, and presumably the NAB will now be working hard to get that up to 51, so it has majority support in the upper chamber of Congress too.

Nevertheless, the music industry seems hopeful that support for its argument is building. "The American Music Fairness Act is gaining momentum on Capitol Hill and we look forward to progress in the months ahead", musicFIRST Chair Joe Crowley said yesterday. "Big radio has used an antiquated loophole to deny payments to artists for decades, but with the help of Senator Blackburn, Senator Padilla and other allies in Congress, this is the year we will finally end this injustice".

Meanwhile, the boss of SoundExchange, Michael Huppe, added: "The American Music Fairness Act is a necessary and overdue step towards bringing the music industry into the 21st century. It ends decades of injustice of denying music creators payment for their work on AM/FM radio and levels the playing field between traditional broadcasts and streaming platforms. This is a common-sense blueprint for a healthier and fairer music industry, and we strongly support its passage on behalf of our 570,000 creator community".

And the CEO of the American Association Of Independent Music, Richard James Burgess, said: "By introducing the American Music Fairness Act today, Senators Padilla and Blackburn are standing on the side of musicians and small independent record labels who for too long have seen enormous national radio conglomerates make billions of dollars without paying a cent for the sound recordings that draw in their listeners".

"That's just not fair, and the status quo should be an insult to all content creators, including broadcasters themselves", he went on, before adding "the bill has the most generous exception ever for truly small community broadcasters, so the time is now to enact it into law".

Just to balance things off, here's the official response of NAB CEO Curtis LeGeyt: "NAB remains steadfastly opposed to the AMFA, which disregards the value of radio and would undermine our critical public service to line the pockets of multinational billion-dollar record labels".

"NAB thanks the 250 bipartisan members of Congress, including 28 senators and a majority of the House, who instead support the Local Radio Freedom Act", he added, "which recognises the unique benefits that radio provides to communities across the country and opposes inflicting a new performance fee on local broadcast radio stations".

"We are committed to working with lawmakers to find a mutually beneficial solution to this decades-old policy disagreement", he concluded, "but this one-sided AMFA proposal is not the answer. We urge the recording industry to return to the negotiating table in an effort to find common ground".

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Triller Verzuz Timbaland and Swizz Beatz is settled
Timbaland and Swizz Beatz have settled their legal dispute with Triller, which means the TikTok rival has got rid of one of the three lawsuits filed against it in the last month.

This particular dispute related to the 2021 acquisition by Triller of Verzuz, the livestreamed DJ battle series launched by Timbaland and Swizz Beatz at the start of the COVID lockdowns in spring 2020. The producers claimed that they were still owed money from that deal, $28 million in fact, and that the Triller company had failed to stick to a revised payment schedule agreed earlier this year.

After Timbaland and Swizz Beatz sued Triller for their money, the digital firm insisted that the additional payments were conditional on certain obligations being met by the duo which had not yet been met. The Triller company said in a statement: "We don't believe they have met the thresholds for that payment yet, but [we] have been trying to resolve it amicably".

And, it seems, those attempts at reaching an amicable agreement have proven successful. Timbaland and Swizz Beatz have said in a new statement: "Verzuz has always been a platform that is by the artists, for the artists, and with the people. We're glad to come to an amicable agreement with Triller and continue giving fans the music and community that they've come to know and love from the brand".

Triller co-founder Bobby Sarnevesht added: "Verzuz and Triller will always be a safe place and outlet for creators and their art. Nothing will change that. Creators started this and will continue building it. This is a victorious moment in the Triller and Verzuz relationship as we march together toward the public markets. Stay tuned".

Oh yes, don't forget, Triller is busy working its way towards an IPO, which meant a public legal spat with Timbaland and Swizz Beatz was a bit of hassle, given the Triller company needs to convince potential investors that - not only does it have some nifty tech - but it also enjoys solid partnerships with the music and wider entertainment industries.

The second of the three lawsuits recently filed against Triller over unpaid bills, by Sony Music, is also a bit of a hassle in that regard. The third legal battle is with app consultancy Phiture. Legal fun times. But let's not allow any of that other litigation over-shadow this "victorious moment".

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Downtown combines its services businesses into one division
Downtown Music Holdings has announced another rejig that will bring together a number of its businesses into a new global division to be called Downtown Music headed up by the boss of one of those businesses, Pieter Van Rijn from music distributor FUGA.

The new division will consist of FUGA - which Downtown acquired back in 2020 - as well as the group's rights management platform AdRev and its neighbouring rights agency, plus Downtown Music Services. The latter was created in April last year after Downtown sold its songs catalogue to Concord, but retained its music publishing admin services business, which it allied with its existing label services set-up under the Downtown Music Services banner.

Says Downtown CEO Andrew Bergman: "Downtown is committed to placing the tools of the trade in the hands of those who create the art that we all depend on. Downtown's new structure offers the most nimble, flexible end-to-end service offering available in the music industry".

"As we continue to position Downtown as the global leader in music services, this new structure will help us to further empower our artist, label and creator partners around the world", he goes on. "Under Pieter's leadership, FUGA became the industry leading service provider of services that rights owners need to be successful in the modern music industry and we're excited for him to bring his vision and energy to this newly integrated division of the company".

Van Rijn himself adds: "It is such an exciting time to be at Downtown as we shape our offerings into the most potent and strategic music services company in the business today. What we have built and developed at FUGA has grown into the leading partner for independent music companies for distribution, technology, marketing services, analytics and royalty accounting. We've added new services in neighbouring rights and audience engagement".

"Being able to bring that experience to the broader offering of business services to all of Downtown is a challenge I am truly energised about", he continues. "Looking at new markets for us to continue to grow such as Asia, Latin America, Africa and specific parts of Europe are also tremendous opportunities we are focused on group-wide".

The wider Downtown group also operates the DIY distributor CD Baby and song rights admin platform SongTrust, among other things.

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Amy Thomson departs Hipgnosis to launch rights management platform
Chief Catalogue Officer at the Hipgnosis Songs Fund, Amy Thomson, has announced that she is stepping down from her full-time role at the company, so that she can focus on launching a new platform to help other rights owners manage their catalogues.

Thomson's key role at Hipgnosis was to oversee the development of such a platform to help the company better manage the many catalogues it has acquired in recent years.

Speaking to Billboard, she says that it took her and her team two years to get that done, but now the platform is in place at Hipgnosis she wants to focus on helping other artists, songwriters and music companies to more easily manage their rights.

With song catalogues in particular, it can be hard for songwriters and publishers to constantly and accurately administer and monitor their rights and royalties. The fact that song copyrights are routinely co-owned, that collecting societies rather than publishers control elements of the rights, and that both publishers and societies have traditionally relied on other entities to monetise their catalogues in foreign markets, makes things complicated.

Add in all the issues around hidden and missing music rights data, and the many disputes over copyright ownership, many of which occur without the knowledge of the songwriters, plus the general lack of transparency around how collecting societies process monies, and the continued existence of the black box even with revenue streams that come with super accurate usage data, and manually administrating anything but the biggest songs can become more expensive than the monies said song is going to generate.

Thomson tells Billboard that the service she is now launching will allows artists, writers and their managers to easily understand "what they own and how to care for it".

She adds: "After the work at Hipgnosis, which had customised elements especially designed for their needs, we are tailoring the platform for artists and managers. There is already a waiting list, but the first clients I have are not only iconic but will push me to really think about every element and to maintain one key part - that it is equally clear to the artist as it is to the lawyers and business managers. This has to be a tool everyone uses".

In a lengthy statement to Music Business Worldwide confirming Thomson's departure from her full time role at the company, Hipgnosis boss Merck Mercuriadis says: "Amy was already one of the most successful people in our industry well before she came to Hipgnosis and the confidence that came with that has been a massive asset for us as we took what was the traditional publishing business and reinvented it as song management".

Confirming that Thomson will continue to consult for his company, Mercuriadis adds: "I'm delighted that she will continue to be part of the Hipgnosis family through the new consulting arrangement we've put in place. Over the last years no matter where I am in the world I know I'm either going to wake up or go to bed with a flurry of emails from Amy and long may that continue".

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Chrysalis marketing execs move to artist management roles within label's parent company Blue Raincoat
Chrysalis Records marketing execs John Leahy and Rupert King have announced that they are moving over to full-time artist management roles at Blue Raincoat Artists, the management division of the wider Blue Raincoat group which also includes the Chrysalis label.

Leahy - whose existing management clients include The Mysterines, She Drew The Gun and Steve Mason - says of the move: "I am looking forward to continuing to work with my clients on the development of their careers at Blue Raincoat Artists. Each one is at a very different stage in the journey but all have that unique talent that sets them apart".

King - who manages Amy Love and Georgia South, aka Nova Twins - adds: "I'm super excited for this recent move into full-time artist management. Nova Twins are at an incredibly exciting moment in their career and being well accustomed to Amy and Georgia's unrelenting ambition and drive, I know full well that the real hard work starts now. I look forward to continuing to support their vision as best I can".

Also commenting on all this, Blue Raincoat Music CEO Jeremy Lascelles says: "Both John and Rupert have been hugely important, senior members of the Chrysalis Records/Blue Raincoat team over recent years, combining full-on marketing roles with their artist management responsibilities. That they managed to do both so effectively is testimony to their dedication and hard work".

"But the growing success in particular of The Mysterines and Nova Twins has made it clear that they both now need to devote themselves full time to being artist managers", he adds, "and I am delighted that they are doing so as part of Blue Raincoat Artists. We know how smart and capable they both are, and I see this as an important and exciting move for all concerned".

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Help Musicians launches new mental health-focussed charity
UK music charity Help Musicians has launched a new standalone charitable organisation specifically focused on supporting mental health in the music community. It's called Music Minds Matter, named after Help Musicians' existing service in this domain, which will now be run by the new charity. The restructure follows a 30% increase in calls to the Music Minds Matter helpline, it says.

Moving the mental health service over to the new charity partly recognises that, while Help Musicians itself is focused on supporting musicians in particular, the Music Minds Matter service has been extended to support anyone working in music. It also means that any fundraising activity focused on mental health support will exclusively fund those specific services.

"Since Music Minds Matter launched in 2017, we have seen the need for mental health support continue to grow year-on-year", says Help Musicians CEO James Ainscough. "Musicians and those who work in music have been through an incredibly difficult time during the pandemic. And, sadly, coming out the other side is proving just as challenging, if not more. So the time is right to set up Music Minds Matter as a single-focus charity".

The new charity will be chaired by Silvia Montello, who is also CEO of the Association For Electronic Music. She adds: "Having worked in music my entire career, I have sadly seen and experienced first-hand the devastating impact on the mental health of too many great colleagues, friends and artists".

"Music brings such joy to so many people", she goes on, "we need to ensure that no one involved in creating and sharing it across the music-loving community is left to suffer the effects of stressful, unhealthy and often precarious livelihoods, and is able to share in that joy and to thrive in their own daily endeavours".

As well as Montello, the board of Music Minds Matter is made up of FUGA's Gareth Mellor, PPL's Juliette Edwards, United Talent's Maria Way, Utopia Music's Melanie Johnson, Amazon Music's Paul Firth, Warner Music's Reni Adadevoh and Help Musicians trustee Jim Benner.

"With the full backing of the Help Musicians team and resources, the Music Minds Matter board will have the freedom to drive forward our work on mental health, so we can reach more of those who need our support, and build vital partnerships right across the music industry", says Ainscough.

"Silvia and the new board of trustees bring the wealth of knowledge, understanding and passion needed to guide Music Minds Matter in this new and exciting phase", he concludes, "and I look forward to working with them".

More information on Music Minds Matter is available here. You can also call its helpline 24/7 in the UK on 0808 802 8008.

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APPOINTMENTS

Leila Oliveira has been promoted to President of Warner Music Brazil. She will take up the role on 28 Oct, replacing Sérgio Affonso, who is leaving to set up his own independent label. "It's an incredible honour to be asked to succeed Sergio as President of Warner Music Brazil", she says. "I've worked for him for almost a decade and learnt so much about how to support artists and stay nimble in our ever changing industry. I've got huge ambitions to further grow our company and make Brazil a source of global talent for Warner Music".

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RELEASES

Harry Styles and Florence Pugh have released 'With You All The Time', taken from their new film 'Don't Worry Darling'. Styles doesn't sing, but plays piano on the song.

Stormzy has released new single 'Mel Made Me Do It'. It's not been properly announced yet, but a new album is expected from the rapper later this year.

Lil Nas X has released 'Star Walkin', the official anthem of this year's League Of Legends World Championship esports tournament. The rapper also has a new limited edition M&Ms packet out too.

Want another official anthem? OK. Lil Baby has released new single 'The World Is Yours To Take', which is the official anthem of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Sam Smith has released new single 'Unholy', featuring Kim Petras. "I've never had so much fun making a record", says Smith of the song. "It was so cathartic and freeing to experiment like this and throw out the rule book. It has also been an honour to work with Kim and get to witness her brilliance. This song is about liberating oneself from the clutches of others' secrets".

Red Hot Chili Peppers have released new single 'Eddie', paying tribute to late Val Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen. "Sometimes we don't realise how deeply affected and connected we are to artists until the day they die", says Anthony Kiedis. "Although the song doesn't speak to Eddie by name, it talks about his early days on the Sunset Strip and the rock n roll tapestry that Van Halen painted on our minds. In the end, our song asks that you not remember Eddie for dying but for living his wildest dream".

The new Björk tracks are coming in thick and fast now. There's another one, called 'Ancestress', out now. "On my new album 'Fossora' I wrote two songs to my mother. This one, 'Ancestress', [was] written just after her worldly funeral and is probably an impulse common with musicians: to make your version of the story, later". 'Fossora' is out next week.

Weezer have released the third instalment of their 'SZNZ' series of EPs, matching up to the seasons of the year. And as we enter into the autumn, guess which one they've put out? Yes, that's right. Well done you. Here's the lead track from 'SZNZ: Autumn', a little song called 'What Happens After You'.

Leftfield have released new track 'Accumulator'. They've also announced UK tour dates in December, kicking off at The Steelyard in London on 7 Dec.

Alvvays have released two new tracks, 'Belinda Says' and 'Very Online Guy'. Say the band: "Two new lambs for the cultural volcano! One more sweet slurp of alcopop dedicated to the girls wiping tables called 'Belinda Says' and the dial-up electronic dream 'Very Online Guy'". Their new album, 'Blue Rev', is out on 7 Oct.

We Are Scientists have released new single 'Operator Error'. "It starts with what sounds like a countdown timer for some kind of destructive alien device, but ends up being a countdown timer for one of the punchiest little pop songs on Earth", says bassist Chris Cain. "So the usual first-listen reaction is joy mixed with quite a bit of relief".

Ezra Collective have released new single 'Ego Killah'. They've also announced UK tour dates in February next year, which will finish up at Brixton Academy in London on 24 Feb. Their new album, 'Where I'm Meant To Be', is out on 4 Nov.

Isabella Lovestory has released new single 'Exhibisionitista'.

Dilettante has released the video for recent single 'Surrogate Lover'.

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AWARDS

The rescheduled Mercury Prize will take place on 18 Oct, still at London's Hammersmith Apollo. The previously planned ceremony was called off, of course, right at the last minute because it was due to start shortly after the announcement of the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Check out our weekly Spotify playlist of new music featured in the CMU Daily - updated every Friday.

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Kanye West "absolutely" still has ambitions to become US President
We've been waiting with trepidation for some time now for the big announcement on whether or not a certain person will stand for the US presidency again in 2024. And it seems like we might now be drawing closer to learning whether or not that will happen. That's right, Kanye West says he still has political ambitions.

In a new interview with ABC, the rapper says that he "absolutely" still has ambitions to enter the world of politics, despite his fairly disastrous run in the 2020 US presidential election.

"That time wasn't in God's time", he says of that initial attempt to be leader of the free world. "I'm sure there's lives that were saved. I'm sure God had me fall on the sword and say, 'This is not the time', but you know, he's a redeemer".

West's somewhat chaotic presidential campaign in 2020 saw him receive around 60,000 votes in the twelve states where he was actually standing - less than 1% of the 81 million that secured victory for Joe Biden. As a result, he eventually conceded defeat, although did indicate then that he would be back in 2024.

We're obviously also waiting to hear whether or not Donald Trump will stand again in 2024, but is anyone really interested in that? It's Ye we want to know about.

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