As with Many Things, Society Takes Notice. As Occurred with Musician Compensation.
On October 11, 2018 the “Orrin G. Hatch-Bob Goodlatte Music Modernization Act” (also known by the ‘official’ names of H.R. 1551 and later Public Law 115-264) went into effect. 1 While like all statutes, there is ‘more to it’, in essence the “MMA’ 2 updates provisions of the overall federal copyright law. 3
Now, over time, this series has identified, quoted, and properly cited (under the same copyright law), a variety of sources for its materials. In this case, a ‘journal’ no less venerable than “Rolling Stone” magazine contains a useful précis of the MMA:
Intended to update music copyright law for the digital era, [the MMA] accomplishes three key things: making sure songwriters and artists receive royalties on songs recorded before 1972; allocating royalties for music producers; and updating licensing and royalty rules for streaming services to pay rights-holders in a more streamlined fashion, via a new, independent entity. Under the act, many music creators will have a more reliable way of collecting the money that they’re due. 4
If only it were that simple…But copyright law is indeed more complicated than a pentatonic scale. 5
Now if a reader wants to discuss guitars, bass guitars, effects, and amplifiers, that is easy. Just contact this writer. (He owns a variety of Fender, Rickenbacker, Epiphone, Ampeg, Genz-Benz, Peavey, Seismic Audio, and DigiTech equipment.)
1 https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/1551/titles.
2 To see the text of the Music Modernization Act, please visit https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/1551/text.
3 https://www.copyright.gov/title17/
4 https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/trump-signs-music-modernization-act-736185/
5 https://www.britannica.com/art/pentatonic-scale
– For more information, call Philip N. Kabler of the Gainesville, FL office of Bogin, Munns & Munns at 352.332.7688, where he practices in the areas of business, banking, real estate, and equine law. He has taught business and real estate law courses at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Warrington College of Business Administration. And is now the President-Elect of the Eighth Judicial Circuit Bar Association.
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