Creative Industries
Main stories — Week 48, 2022
Here’s a list of the main stories published in the past week by Creative Industries News.
LEAD STORY
> Canada’s CRTC maintains local content and French-language music requirements for commercial radio stations
COPYRIGHT & REGULATION
> FTC moves to block Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of games company Activision Blizzard
> The PEACE For Music Diplomacy Act passes through the House and the Senate
> Japan government plans to create a new office to license works for which rights holders cannot be identified
> Italy’s creative sector fights Meloni government’s plans to scratch the €500 allocation for 18-y-o to buy cultural goods
> French government allocates €30 million to support news publishers hit by rising costs
LITIGATION
> BMG, UMG and Concord sue Altice for copyright infringement in $1bn lawsuit
> Nathan Butler and Sean Hall’s case against Taylor Swift dismissed with prejudice
> Japanese court fines two individuals ¥500m for posting unlicensed ‘fast movies’
> US Attorney’s Office in Maryland takes down 55 sites streaming World Cup games
CMOs & LICENSING
> IMPEL renews its admin deal with SACEM
> SACD and Meta sign agreement covering France, Belgium and Luxembourg
> PPL distributed £43.2 million in the last quarter of 2022
> Merlin’s partnership with STYNGR opens access to a new business model
> PRS for Music distributed over £200m in royalties in December 2022
> SACD signs agreement with French media regulator ARCOM enforcing author’s rights
> AKM joins digital licensing hub ICE Core
> France’s neighbouring rights society SCPP welcomes its 4,000th label member
DATA
> IMPEL strikes strategic partnership with music rights and data platform Blokur
> Sony Music appoints Rachel Chernoff to the new role of SVP of Data Science & Analytics
CREATIVE INDUSTRIES
> Zebralution, LyricFind, Deezer and other industry players launch BELEM to democratise and monetise access to lyrics
> 5 questions to Robert Singerman about the BELEM project: ‘To give music subtitles’
> Concord raises $1.8 billion with the issuance of senior notes secured by catalogue assets
> Kader Attia elected President of CISAC’s creators’ council for visual arts CIAGP
> ANote Music will list the soundtrack of ‘Cadillac Records’ from Matthew Knowles’ Music World Entertainment catalogue
> Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment welcomes 11 new members including France Televisions and RTL Deutschland
> Italy’s 2022 book sales to reach €1.67bn
DIGITAL ECONOMY
> Web3 music platform Public Pressure closes $6m funding round led by Scytale
> Amazon Prime Video overtakes Netflix as the leading US video streaming service
> Vevo extends partnership with Amazon Freevee to launch new channels
DEALS
– Litmus Music acquires Keith Urban’s catalogue of master rights
– Sony Music Publishing UK signs Naomi Kimpenu to a global publishing deal
– Beyond Music acquires the catalogue of Canadian producer and songwriter Greg Wells
– Downtown Music Services signs a raft of new artists for distribution, marketing and sync licensing services
IN THE NEWS
– Kurt Deutsch appointed to the newly created post of SVP, Warner Music Entertainment & Theatrical Ventures
– Melanie Ainsworth named Chief Financial Officer at Position Music
– Lauren Harman appointed President, Film/TV Licensing for Silo Music
– UMG beefs up its digital strategy team
– Cosynd promotes Rhea Ghosh to the position of Chief Marketing Officer
– Kobalt has named Kate Loesch as Senior Director, Creative
– Nikisha Bailey appointed General Manager of creators-centric label Nvak Collective
– Claus Thune has joined Podimo as Global Director of Programming
– PPL strengthens its Member Services department with the promotion of Titania Altius and Dan Millington to new roles
– Sony Music Publishing UK names Naomi Asher to Vice President, Songwriter Services and Neighbouring Rights
– Fruits Music appoints Arno Van Berkel to the position of Managing Director
– Sean Warner named President of Universal Music Australia & New Zealandas George Ash leaves the company
VIEWPOINT
> Terry Hart: ‘Copyright Under Pressure’
INTERVIEWS
In case you missed it, Creative Industries News published recent Q&As with:
– Bruno Guez (Revelator)
– Andrea C Martin (PRS for Music)
– Cécile Rap-Veber (SACEM)
– Molly Neuman (Songtrust)
– Jordi Puy (Unison)
– Olivier Chastan (Iconoclast)
– Ken Umezaki (Verifi)
– Paul Pacifico (AIM)
– Spek (PopArabia)
– Merk Mercuriadis (Hipgnosis) (Part 1)
– Merk Mercuriadis (Hipgnosis) (Part 2)
OPINION
In case you missed it, Creative Industries News published recent opinion pieces from:
– Chola Makgamathe (SAMRO): South Africa needs a comprehensive, multifaceted strategy to curb the economic impact of piracy
– Susan Cotchin (Good Neighbour Rights): ‘Australia’s decision to limit the application of Art. 15 of WIPO’s WPPT has impacted Australian artists in a big way’
– Helen Smith (IMPALA): ‘We don’t believe equitable remuneration is equitable at all’
– Jonathan Reichman and Jeremy King (Hunton Andrews Kurth): ‘Warhol Foundation v. Goldsmith is an opportunity for US Supreme Court to clarify fair use’
– Kevin Casini: ‘Stakeholders need to take a long-term view with the Copyright Royalty Board’s rate-setting proceedings’
– Barry Scannell (IMRO): ‘Royalty-based NFTs have limited fungibility’
(Picture under license from AdobeStock)
Creative Industries
British music industry contributed a record £8 billion to the UK economy in 2024
British music industry contributed a record £8 billion to the UK economy in 2024
Disney channels return to YouTube TV
‘Fully operational’ US Copyright Office resumes activity as government reopens
The MLC plans webinars to show members how to use tools to manage song data
Cécile Rap-Veber (SACEM): ‘We are a solutions provider to create value, a tech company, and we are less and less seen as some sort of cultural institution’
Olivier Chastan (Iconoclast): ‘Name, image and likeness will be as important as music rights in the future’
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Collective Management Organisations3 years agoThe MLC plans webinars to show members how to use tools to manage song data
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Collective Management Organisations4 years agoCécile Rap-Veber (SACEM): ‘We are a solutions provider to create value, a tech company, and we are less and less seen as some sort of cultural institution’
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Interview4 years agoOlivier Chastan (Iconoclast): ‘Name, image and likeness will be as important as music rights in the future’
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Collective Management Organisations4 years agoAndrea C Martin (PRS for Music): ‘In 2022, we will have higher revenues and we will pay out more royalties to our members’