Recent news that the US Department of Justice is moving forward with requirements for ‘100% licensing’ of music continues to make waves within the publishing world. The bosses of the NMPA and ASCAP have both explained their opposition to the plans in columns published online.
“After a two year review of the consent decrees that govern ASCAP and BMI, career lawyers who were never elected nor confirmed to their positions, led by a lawyer who previously represented Google, determined that songwriters should have even fewer rights, less control over their intellectual property and be treated more unfairly than they already are,” wrote the NMPA’s David Israelite in a piece for Hypebot. “We have been saddled with a disruptive proposal that ignores songwriters’ concerns for our future livelihoods in a streaming world, serves absolutely no public interest and creates confusion and instability for all of us who depend on the efficiencies of collective licensing,” wrote ASCAP’s Paul Williams in a piece on the Artist Rights Watch website. The anger within the publishing world at the (unexpected) plans remains palpable.
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