The Songwriter Equity Act was trumpeted by Senate Judiciary...
The Songwriter Equity Act was trumpeted by Senate Judiciary Committee member Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, both Tennessee Republicans, at an event in Nashville Monday, said a news release (http://1.usa.gov/1lpaTWD). The bill will be considered…
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by the Senate Judiciary Committee, it said. The House version of the bill (HR-4079) was introduced by House Judiciary Committee member Doug Collins, R-Ga., Feb. 25 (CD Feb 26 p13) and seeks to update Copyright Act sections 114(i) and 115 that prevent “songwriters from receiving royalty rates that reflect fair market value” for their use, said a bill summary. Songwriters’ “paychecks ought to be based on the fair market value of their songs,” said Alexander in the release: “As technology advances, it’s important we not forget the sometimes unsung heroes of the music industry -- the songwriters -- and modernize the way they are compensated for their talents,” said Corker in the release. Allowing songwriters and composers to “receive the fair market value for their songs is the right thing to do,” said Hatch, himself a published songwriter, in the release. “The Senate’s introduction of the Songwriter Equity Act brings us an important step closer to our mission of ‘Fair market pay for all music creators across all platforms,'” said Neil Portnow, Recording Academy CEO, in a separate release. “The legislation would allow a ‘rate court’ to consider other royalty rates as evidence when establishing digital performance rates for songwriters and composers, and it would adapt a fair rate standard for reproduction,” ASCAP said Monday. NAB opposed the House bill and said Monday it would oppose the Senate bill as well. The SEA “could impose new costs on broadcasters that jeopardize the future of our free locally-focused service,” said an NAB spokesman in a statement.