OpenSea’s “Punk of the Day” sees the company responsible for CryptoPunks releasing 8-bit NFT images of celebs and historical figures. Now, those of Handel, Mozart, and Renoir are unlikely to cause issue. But for purchase also are NFT CrytoPunks of Michael Jordan, Howard Stern, Shakira, Oprah, even Cristiano Ronaldo.

I join my cohorts in celebrating the newest step in raising royalty rates (and the value of music) represented in the near 33% increase to mechanical royalties on physical product (sub-part B for us in the weeds) put forth by the major parties in the rate-setting procedure known as Phonorecrods…

A week ago the Copyright Royalty Board saw fit to empower the voices of independent songwriters, albeit in a limited capacity as amplification for the lone objecting party to a proposed settlement in a rate-setting proceeding we call Phonorecrods IV, Subpart B, which deals with mechanical royalties for physical products…

“If you don’t own your masters, your master owns you.” — Prince When he said that, Prince was, as always, making a larger point, and using a clever play on words. There is a long sordid history in the music industry of young, black artists being taken advantage of by…

Regarding the fate of mechanical royalty rates May 25, 2021 Senator Richard Blumenthal Senator Chris Murphy US Copyright Royalty Board Hon. C.J. Jesse M. Feder Hon. J. David R. Strickler Hon. J. Steve Ruwe Senator Blumenthal, Senator Murphy, and Honorable Judges of the Copyright Royalty Board: I am a Connecticut…

How to Play the Game as Spotify Intended The other day I was talking with the artist and musician Aubrey Haddard about her latest release, and we were going through the different steps one takes when releasing new projects (more on that here), and she asked flatly “How come no…

How Much Has Changed? A Record Release Strategy in Four Steps So…you had plans for a record release, and COVID-19 went and shelved your project? Or, you lost a distribution deal. Or, maybe, since you’ve been home for almost two months , you’ve been cranking out some brand new quarantunes…

by Kevin Casini & Caroline Womack In 2019, Pennsylvania prisoner Jamal Knox had turned to the U.S. Supreme Court in an effort to overturn a 2014 conviction. Therein, Knox made the argument that his conviction should be overturned on the grounds the Commonwealth had violated his First Amendment Rights of…