To align its Gold and Platinum Certifications with actual listening trends, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has announced the inclusion of on-demand audio and video streams in its Gold and Platinum Program. It has become impossible to discuss the music industry without discussing streaming – the phenomenon that has revolutionized music consumption and […]
The Electronic Dance Music (EDM) industry has seen its share of extreme ups and downs in the last few years. Built largely on big-name glamour and social-media driven popularity, no one has cashed in on the EDM trend like those riding the festival wave, such as successful events companies Insomniac and Goldenvoice; well known for
Rude Music Inc., owned by Frankie Sullivan, is suing yet another politician for copyright infringement. The music company sued Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee for copyright infringement after he used the company’s song, “Eye of the Tiger,” at a rally in support of Kim Davis. Ms. Davis, the now infamous Kentucky clerk, was jailed after
The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) is one of the two largest Performance Rights Organizations (PROs) in the country. Boasting a repertoire of over 10 million musical compositions from over half a million members, ASCAP can now also boast that it is the first PRO to make “licensable share data” readily available
Jesse Braham, an amateur musician, filed a copyright infringement suit in federal court in California against international pop star Taylor Swift. His complaint alleged that lyrics from Swift’s chart-topping single “Shake It Off” were 92% plagiarized from a song he wrote in 2013, “Haters Gonna Hate.” He specifically claimed Swift’s lyric, “the players gonna
After weeks of back and forth, there appears to be no more bad blood between Taylor Swift and Apple. According to Forbes, the rift between the pop artist and the tech conglomerate began shortly after Apple CEO Tim Cook announced Apple would offer its own streaming platform, Apple Music. In order to entice music lovers
According to Law360 and the Hollywood Reporter, on Tuesday, a jury found that Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams violated Marvin Gaye’s copyright it “Got to Give It Up” in their creation of the hit song, “Blurred Lines.” After more than a year of litigation, and two and a half days of jury deliberation, Thicke and Williams have been
And the fight continues…. According to Law360, the lawsuit began in August 2013 when the now defendants (Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams, and rapper T.I.) asked the court for a declaratory judgment to prove their, song “Blurred Lines,” did not infringe Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up.” This strategic move backfired, as they now find themselves
According to Variety, Freeplay Music is suing four multichannel networks (MCNs) on YouTube. These include, AwesomenessTV, Big Frame (owned by AwesomenessTV), BroadbandTV, and Disney’s Maker Studios. Freeplay, a music licensing company, claims that these channels have infringed its copyrights in the the music it licenses to consumers. The Company also alleges that the defendants refused to negotiate
Imagine you win one of the most successful reality television shows in history, along with the hearts and votes of millions of Americans. Yet, now, you are forced to sign a contract that allows your managers and producers to refuse to disclose to you the name of your upcoming album, obligates you to perform live
According to the Wall Street Journal, on Monday Taylor Swift removed her music from the streaming service, Spotify. Recently, Ms. Swift’s label, Big Machine Label Group, requested that Spotify release her new album on its platform only in the United States (as the label tries to grow her fan base internationally). However, Spotify did not
