CRB Hears Disputes

The Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) began a hearing yesterday that will ultimately determine mechanical rates for every songwriter and music publisher in the United States. According to the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), this will be the most important rate hearing in the history of the music industry, because digital product (downloads, subscription services and ringtones) rates will be set for the first time ever.

The Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) began a hearing yesterday that will ultimately determine mechanical rates for every songwriter and music publisher in the United States. According to the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), this will be the most important rate hearing in the history of the music industry, because digital product (downloads, subscription services and ringtones) rates will be set for the first time ever.

Multiple parties have entered the ring for this two-sided tug-of-war. In one corner, the NMPA will fight for the interests of songwriters and music publishers to ensure that music compositions are compensated fairly. On the other side stands a tag team composed of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the Digital Music Association (DiMA) that has proposed significant reductions in mechanical royalty rates for songwriters and music publishers alike.