mechanical royalties
Major Labels Appeal to Keep Mechanical Royalty Rate at 9.1 Cents
The RIAA and the three major record labels have filed a motion with the Copyright Royalty Board asking to limit the scope of a recent ruling to reconsider the long-standing 9.1 cent mechanical royalty rate on physical and download format sales. The motion, filed April 5, seeks to confirm that when the CRB rejected a settlement between the labels and the National Music Publishers’ Association to keep mechanical rates frozen at 9.1 cents for the 2023-2027 term that it only applied to the music of George Johnson, the independent songwriter who objected to the agreement. It also requests that the CRB extend the response period to 60 days, instead of requiring participants in the proceeding to respond by April 22. But RIAA CEO/chairman Mitch Glazier tells Billboard the intent for the filing is ...
The 9.1 Cent Mechanical Royalty Rate Ditched in New CRB Ruling
The longstanding 9.1 cent mechanical royalty songwriters and publishers earn for every song sold may be a thing of the past. On Tuesday (March 29), the Copyright Royalty Board agreed to abandon that mechanical settlement between music publishers, record labels and digital services for the sale of songs for the upcoming 2023-2027 rate period, giving way to a new battle over what the rate should be for physical and download sales. The CRB judges’ decision came after receiving the settlement from interested parties in a motion to adopt it, as part of the overall rate-setting process, which also determines royalty rates for on-demand streaming. While the on-demand streaming rates are hard fought between digital services and publishers, with both sides racking up millions of dollars of litigati...
