Streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music have radically changed the music industry, not only affecting the way people listen to music but also how artists and music creators get paid. It has been more than a year since Congress passed the Music Modernization Act that ensures songwriters get paid when digital services use their work, and the Recording Academy is the body working to make certain that music creators get what they say is their fair share.
The Recording Academy recently named Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter Jason Mraz as its District Advocate Ambassador, which brought him to Washington, DC to advocate for artists.
"It's the wild west in music," Mraz told Cheddar. "The bonus is there are more music creators now than ever before — you don't have to have a certain lane open for you, you can make music anywhere, anytime with a variety of technology."
Getting a song played on the radio can be a pretty big moment for most performers, and many might, mistakenly, believe a large payday will follow. "Radio is the one place artists don't get paid: songwriters get paid, but artists actually don't get paid," Mraz said.
Congress recently introduced the Ask Musicians for Music Act (AM-FM), which aims to revise existing copyright laws and would require digital services to get permission from music creators to use their work.
The House also passed the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act of 2019 (CASE Act) that would set up small claims courts to decide copyright cases. The bill is currently in the hands of the Senate.
As the internet and technology disrupted the music industry, and streaming services were born, existing copyright laws for artists and music creators have been slow to keep pace. "We want to make sure songwriters and music creators can defend their works properly in a court of law," Mraz said.
However, the internet has also opened the door for new artists to create their own "lane" because it is no longer a necessity to have a record label behind you to publish music.
"That actually makes more artists and music creators than ever that need support and protections," according to Mraz.
Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at S&P Global, breaks down September’s CPI print and inflation trends, explaining what it means for markets.
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
