NMPA Submits CRB Proposal To Improve Interactive Streaming Rates For Songwriters
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: November 1, 2016
Media Contact: Charlotte Sellmyer
Washington, D.C.— The National Music Publishers’ Association along with the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) today submitted their proposal to the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) to determine the rates payable by interactive streaming services for the years 2018-2022. Please find NMPA’s brief HERE and proposed rates and terms HERE. NMPA President and CEO David Israelite released the following statement.
“Interactive streaming is becoming the dominant way in which consumers listen to music,” said Israelite. “This trend will continue, therefore it is imperative that we improve the rates paid by streaming services like Spotify to ensure that the songwriters who create the songs on which these platforms are built, are paid fairly.
“The current licensing model is structured as a percentage of revenue, and we must change this to a structure where songwriters are paid in accordance with the inherent value – and popularity – of their work instead of the success of a given service’s business model. We are laser-focused on achieving royalty rates that are set on a per-play and per-user basis.
“While we remain open to achieving a settlement with the digital services to avoid a trial as we have done in the past, we are ready to fight for exactly what songwriters deserve.”
NMPA has previously negotiated settlements with all of the major record labels to exit the proceeding. NMPA now faces Amazon, Apple, Google, Pandora and Spotify in the CRB. NMPA is represented in the CRB proceedings by Pryor Cashman LLP.
###