This week the most important trial most people have never heard of will begin in Washington, D.C, as songwriters fight against big tech. The Copyright Royalty Board will decide on a royalty rate for interactive music streams over the 2018-2022 period over the course of this year, hearing proposals from all sides of the music industry.
Musicnotes is in full support of the mission to protect the rights of songwriters, composers and music publisher members to make sure they are paid fairly for the use of their work across all platforms. Royalties represent an important income stream for many music creators – did you know Musicnotes has payed out over $60m in royalties to date?
Please read the letter below, and join us in signing this petition to show your support for songwriters as they face Google, Apple, Amazon, Spotify and Pandora in the Copyright Royalty Board proceedings that will determine how songwriters are paid for the next five years. So far, over 8,000 songwriters have signed the petition to the CRB, including such songwriters as Bruce Hornsby, John Densmore, Herb Alpert, Greg Kurstin, Craig Wiseman, Paula Cole and Desmond Child, according to the NMPA.
Songwriters to Digital Services: Work With Us Not Against Us
Dear Apple, Amazon, Google, Spotify and Pandora:
As songwriters, we count on you to deliver our music to the fans who love it. We appreciate the innovative platforms you have developed to do this, however we must voice our outrage at the way you are devaluing our work in the process.
Currently you are fighting to pay us as little as possible in the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) proceedings. This is alarming not only because it threatens our livelihoods and ability to continue our craft, but also because it tells us that instead of being our business partners, you choose to be our adversaries.
The future of music will go one of two ways. We can work together to create an industry ecosystem that grows not just tech companies’ valuations, but also the diversity and quality of music. Or, you can work to reduce the rates paid to songwriters so much that you have nothing left to deliver the fans who subscribe to your services.
It’s not too late to do the right thing. Stop litigating against songwriters and pay them a fair rate for their songs. It is in your best interest to do so instead of making it impossible for us to earn a living. The future of music, and your business, depends on it.
Sincerely,
Songwriters
We thank you in advance for your support.
Petition: https://www.gopetition.com/petitions/songwriters-to-big-tech-stop-fighting-us-in-crb
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