R Street Institute

Op-Eds

Congress must update music licensing for the modern era

by Sasha Moss
April 10, 2018
Print
issues: Copyright, Federal Government Affairs, Technology and Innovation
originally published in The Hill
As Mike Godwin wrote about music licensing in 2014, there are a few things on which almost everyone in copyright policy can agree: “markets should be competitive; the public has an interest in copyright; and public policy should meet its constitutional aim to encourage both creative and technological innovation.”

A bill introduced last year — and now strategically folded in with the eminently more-reasonable Music Modernization Act — does nothing to achieve any of these goals. The Compensating Legacy Artists for their Songs, Service and Important Contributions to Society (CLASSICS) Act  (now Title II of the new Music Modernization Act) compounds the problem by adding new rights and regulations designed to transfer wealth to legacy industries. Simply put, the act is a handout to big content companies, tailor-made to legally mandate new payments (which prevent new music startups) while conveniently skirting many protections for libraries, consumers and artists.

[…Read the full op-ed over at The Hill]

Meredith Rose coauthored this op-ed.

Image credit: vexworldwide

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