A 44% streaming royalty rise is now locked in for US songwriters – so long as the likes of Spotify don’t ‘declare war’ | Music Business Worldwide

NMPA President & CEO David Israelite has said that digital music companies would ‘declare war on songwriters’ if they sought to appeal the 44% streaming royalty rise decided by the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) last year.

On January 27, 2018 MBW reported on the CRB’s landmark ruling, which stated that royalty rates paid to songwriters in the US from on-demand subscription streaming will rise by 44% over the next five years (2018-2022).

The CRB’s decision was the result of a trial that took place between March and June of 2017 with the National Music Publishers Association and the Nashville Songwriters Association (NSAI).

Yesterday (February 5), the CRB published the final rates and terms for songwriters and now streaming companies now have 30 days to appeal.

Israelite posted a message on Facebook (see below) stating that the NMPA and the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) “fought hard to increase songwriter royalties” and added that if any of the streaming companies choose to appeal, they would “in effect, declare war on songwriters”.

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“We will know soon whether some digital companies want to be partners or want to attack the songwriters who make their businesses possible.”

David Israelite

Added Israelite: “Apple has announced it will not appeal. The others won’t say. We will know soon whether some digital companies want to be partners or want to attack the songwriters who make their businesses possible. Stay Tuned.”

Speaking in 2018, Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) Executive Director Bart Herbison said: “Songwriters desperately need and deserve the rate increases resulting from the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) trial.

“The CRB was a long and difficult process but songwriters and music publishers together presented a powerful case for higher streaming royalty rates. The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) thanks our songwriter witnesses Steve Bogard, Lee Thomas Miller and Liz Rose whose testimony was compelling.”Music Business Worldwide

[from http://bit.ly/2kVf04A]