Independent publisher Cherry Lane has signed a long-term music administration deal with comic book character giants Marvel Entertainment.
The worldwide agreement will cover 2008 blockbuster films Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, animated TV series like Wolverine And The X-Men, Super Hero Squad and The Avengers, and also films planned for 2010 and 2011 such as Iron Man 2, Thof and Captain America.
Cherry Lane’s executive vice president of business development Mike Connelly says, “We are proud to be in business with Marvel Entertainment, home of some of the most recognizable characters in the universe.
“Not only is this an amazing partner for Cherry Lane but this is also going to be a fun and rewarding relationship.”
Marvel’s president of animation Eric Rollman adds, “As Marvel begins to focus on building our music business, Cherry Lane became the clear choice as a great partner with a long and stable track record, innovative and sophisticated systems for collection and a strong proven work ethic to help Marvel Music maximize its revenue streams from the exploitation of our content.
“We are looking forward to a long and mutually beneficial future together.”
donderdag 27 november 2008
40,000 Musicians tell Brown to increase copyright term
Musicians have today delivered a video message to Prime Minister Gordon Brown, calling on the Government to give them an increased copyright term.
The video message was filmed at PPL’s recent Annual Performer Meeting at Abbey Road Studios and is on behalf of 40,000 performers who have signed a petition in support of extending the copyright term from the current 50 to 95 years.
The video features 28 musicians, who have performed on thousands of recordings between them over the past 50 years - with, among others, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Madonna and Robbie Williams.
The move is another stage of an ongoing campaign to persuade the UK Government to support term extension for performers: Brown and his colleagues are presently still pushing the recommendation of the Gowers Review, which does not support increasing protection.
It also comes at a critical stage of the debate as the draft European Copyright Term Directive is currently working its way through the European Parliament and European Council and has the support of the French and German governments, as well as numerous MEPs.
"British session musicians are the finest in the world, the absolute finest," said Derek Wadsworth who has worked on tracks for The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Tom Jones. "The amount of revenue that’s been brought into this country by these people is quite staggering. Now we require the government to help us out a little bit and show perhaps a bit of appreciation. Instead they choose to kick us in the face and ignore our campaign to extend the copyright for these people and their families."
“This government prides itself on its sense of fairness,” said Tom McGuinness of Manfred Mann. “And put bluntly the current situation regarding performers' rights simply isn't fair. That's why we are demanding action. This campaign isn't just about me. It's about 40,000 performers, most of whom are completely unknown, all of whom have a right to earn from their creative works.”
The move follows a recent letter sent to Brown by PPL performer members asking for an improved copyright term.
The video message was filmed at PPL’s recent Annual Performer Meeting at Abbey Road Studios and is on behalf of 40,000 performers who have signed a petition in support of extending the copyright term from the current 50 to 95 years.
The video features 28 musicians, who have performed on thousands of recordings between them over the past 50 years - with, among others, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Madonna and Robbie Williams.
The move is another stage of an ongoing campaign to persuade the UK Government to support term extension for performers: Brown and his colleagues are presently still pushing the recommendation of the Gowers Review, which does not support increasing protection.
It also comes at a critical stage of the debate as the draft European Copyright Term Directive is currently working its way through the European Parliament and European Council and has the support of the French and German governments, as well as numerous MEPs.
"British session musicians are the finest in the world, the absolute finest," said Derek Wadsworth who has worked on tracks for The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Tom Jones. "The amount of revenue that’s been brought into this country by these people is quite staggering. Now we require the government to help us out a little bit and show perhaps a bit of appreciation. Instead they choose to kick us in the face and ignore our campaign to extend the copyright for these people and their families."
“This government prides itself on its sense of fairness,” said Tom McGuinness of Manfred Mann. “And put bluntly the current situation regarding performers' rights simply isn't fair. That's why we are demanding action. This campaign isn't just about me. It's about 40,000 performers, most of whom are completely unknown, all of whom have a right to earn from their creative works.”
The move follows a recent letter sent to Brown by PPL performer members asking for an improved copyright term.
BPI welcomes Danish court decision on Pirate Bay
The BPI has welcomed a Danish court ruling ordering an ISP to block access to Pirate Bay, reportedly the world’s biggest illegal distributor of music, film and books.
Having signed an understanding with the UK’s six biggest ISPs and government, the BPI is currently working to address the unlawful filesharing that undermines artist investment and cost the business an estimated £159m in lost revenues in 2007.
BPI chief executive Geoff Taylor says, “The potential of innovative new music services is undermined by illegal services such as the Pirate Bay, which exploit music for their own profit without any respect for the rights of creators and performers.
“We are working closely with government and UK ISPs to encourage British music fans to use the many licensed music services that pay artists, and we are encouraged by the collective will that exists to tackle this difficult issue.
“Reducing access to unlawful and free music is paramount. ISPs have a key role to play in achieving that and today’s Danish judgment shows that it is right that they should do so.”
More information on the Danish court’s judgment can be found at: http://www.ifpi.org/content/section_news/20081127.html
Having signed an understanding with the UK’s six biggest ISPs and government, the BPI is currently working to address the unlawful filesharing that undermines artist investment and cost the business an estimated £159m in lost revenues in 2007.
BPI chief executive Geoff Taylor says, “The potential of innovative new music services is undermined by illegal services such as the Pirate Bay, which exploit music for their own profit without any respect for the rights of creators and performers.
“We are working closely with government and UK ISPs to encourage British music fans to use the many licensed music services that pay artists, and we are encouraged by the collective will that exists to tackle this difficult issue.
“Reducing access to unlawful and free music is paramount. ISPs have a key role to play in achieving that and today’s Danish judgment shows that it is right that they should do so.”
More information on the Danish court’s judgment can be found at: http://www.ifpi.org/content/section_news/20081127.html
maandag 24 november 2008
Slide show of new music economy
http://www.slideshare.net/gleonhard/the-new-music-economy-music-20-at-picnic-2008-amsterdam-presentation/v1
Fora TV: The Future of Music: Digital Rights & Wrongs (video)
This is a great video from a May 2007 panel at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. Even though it's over a year old, there are some great moments and nuggets of wisdom captured in this video (and not just from me;). Details: Commonwealth Club of California San Francisco, CA May 7th, 2007 The Future of music: "Digital Rights or Wrongs?" is the theme of this program examining what music rights and creative license will mean in the world of new technologies. What will music rights and creative license mean in the world of new technologies? From the music industry and claims of rampant piracy to online sharing and fierce advocates of fair-use, how will we access and enjoy music? Representatives from all sides wrestle with the future of music and digital rights for creators, consumers and
Video Link:http://www.mediafuturist.com/index.html
Video Link:http://www.mediafuturist.com/index.html
vrijdag 14 november 2008
Napster Judge Calls for Major Copyright Reform
Judge Miriam Hall Patel, who presided over the case that killed off original Napster, proposed a bold plan Monday to reform copyright for the digital age by creating a new public/private organization with authority over the licensing and enforcement of copyright.
"There needs to be a comprehensive revision of the provisions that relate to the administration of copyright licensing, royalties and enforcement," Patel said in a speech at her Fordham Law alma mater. "I propose that a joint public/private administrative body made up of representatives of all competing interest, including the public, be established and authorized to, among other powers, issue licenses; negotiate, set and administer royalties; and adopt rules and regulations to carry out these purposes."
While Utopian in nature -- and with no discernible constituency beyond Patel -- the proposal is hardly on anyone's docket right now. But anyone looking for a diplomatic way forward that would protect rights holders without punishing their customers could do much worse that heed the advice of this particular jurist.
Patel has had seven years to think about what's wrong with the music business and the digital landscape she helped create with her landmark Napster decision, in which she ruled that the peer-to-peer service ''knowingly encourage[ed] and assist[ed]'' the exchange of copyrighted music to the economic detriment of the record industry, a finding which ultimately spelled its doom as a free and free-wheeling service.
Part of the problem just won't go away, like the ease with which any recording can be digitized and shared with an infinite number of others -- like Patel's speech, which I bootlegged and saved as an MP3.
"It was not surprising that the notion of free music caught on," Patel said at Fordham. "What is surprising is how the industry seemed to be caught so short. While it was fumbling the new ways to distribute digital music at a profit in the new age, savvy innovators were moving full speed ahead. Sadly, it is the artists and composers who have been the most neglected in this matter."
But legislation is not the answer, she has concluded. "Our copyright laws have become a patchwork of amendments that are adopted as emergencies arise" and as lobbyists representing various interests push legislation. Simply put, the system is too complex and doesn't properly address music's present -- let alone its future.
Judge Patel's recommendations:
- The new body needs to be a mix of public and private entities with all parties represented. It cannot be a purely governmental body because that is not likely to instill confidence in the public.
- All copyrighted music would be part of this system and subject to a compulsory license, with possible opt-out provisions for certain rights holders.
- Congress should abolish all current compulsory licenses and adopt a blanket licensing system. (Such a system may have allowed Napster to continue operating, assuming it could afford to pay labels under the compulsory licensing scheme.)
- The body would administer all royalty payments and would replace all current systems for doing so.
- An independent arm would arbitrate royalty disputes using music databases that allow arbitration to be done with speed and precision lacking in the current system.
- Manufacturers and developers would need approval from this body before introducing an application or device capable of recording, distributing or copying music to consumers. The body would include technology experts to aid in making those decisions quickly -- Patel described this as "sort of like the FDA, but much faster."
That last item could be cause for concern. Developers and manufacturers won't cotton to an administrative body deliberating over their feature sets. On the other hand, it sure beats getting sued by the RIAA, as XM Radio found out last year when it tried to sell a portable satellite radio receiver with a song-saving feature.
Patel wasn't all business on Monday night. In addition to these bold recommendations, she also revealed that during the Napster trial she joined the Napster network under the user name "Ima Judge." The audience also learned that Judge Patel likes to entertain colleagues at judicial conferences with her rendition of "Momma" from the hit musical Chicago.
(source: blog.wired.com/music/
"There needs to be a comprehensive revision of the provisions that relate to the administration of copyright licensing, royalties and enforcement," Patel said in a speech at her Fordham Law alma mater. "I propose that a joint public/private administrative body made up of representatives of all competing interest, including the public, be established and authorized to, among other powers, issue licenses; negotiate, set and administer royalties; and adopt rules and regulations to carry out these purposes."
While Utopian in nature -- and with no discernible constituency beyond Patel -- the proposal is hardly on anyone's docket right now. But anyone looking for a diplomatic way forward that would protect rights holders without punishing their customers could do much worse that heed the advice of this particular jurist.
Patel has had seven years to think about what's wrong with the music business and the digital landscape she helped create with her landmark Napster decision, in which she ruled that the peer-to-peer service ''knowingly encourage[ed] and assist[ed]'' the exchange of copyrighted music to the economic detriment of the record industry, a finding which ultimately spelled its doom as a free and free-wheeling service.
Part of the problem just won't go away, like the ease with which any recording can be digitized and shared with an infinite number of others -- like Patel's speech, which I bootlegged and saved as an MP3.
"It was not surprising that the notion of free music caught on," Patel said at Fordham. "What is surprising is how the industry seemed to be caught so short. While it was fumbling the new ways to distribute digital music at a profit in the new age, savvy innovators were moving full speed ahead. Sadly, it is the artists and composers who have been the most neglected in this matter."
But legislation is not the answer, she has concluded. "Our copyright laws have become a patchwork of amendments that are adopted as emergencies arise" and as lobbyists representing various interests push legislation. Simply put, the system is too complex and doesn't properly address music's present -- let alone its future.
Judge Patel's recommendations:
- The new body needs to be a mix of public and private entities with all parties represented. It cannot be a purely governmental body because that is not likely to instill confidence in the public.
- All copyrighted music would be part of this system and subject to a compulsory license, with possible opt-out provisions for certain rights holders.
- Congress should abolish all current compulsory licenses and adopt a blanket licensing system. (Such a system may have allowed Napster to continue operating, assuming it could afford to pay labels under the compulsory licensing scheme.)
- The body would administer all royalty payments and would replace all current systems for doing so.
- An independent arm would arbitrate royalty disputes using music databases that allow arbitration to be done with speed and precision lacking in the current system.
- Manufacturers and developers would need approval from this body before introducing an application or device capable of recording, distributing or copying music to consumers. The body would include technology experts to aid in making those decisions quickly -- Patel described this as "sort of like the FDA, but much faster."
That last item could be cause for concern. Developers and manufacturers won't cotton to an administrative body deliberating over their feature sets. On the other hand, it sure beats getting sued by the RIAA, as XM Radio found out last year when it tried to sell a portable satellite radio receiver with a song-saving feature.
Patel wasn't all business on Monday night. In addition to these bold recommendations, she also revealed that during the Napster trial she joined the Napster network under the user name "Ima Judge." The audience also learned that Judge Patel likes to entertain colleagues at judicial conferences with her rendition of "Momma" from the hit musical Chicago.
(source: blog.wired.com/music/
The New Hotness: FourTrack Audio Recorder for iPhone, iPod Touch
"The FourTrack appis the work of Sonoma Wire Works, which makes the desktop recording software RiffWorks, and The Retronyms, which makes Recorder, the top-selling single-track recording software in the App Store. After a few days of pre-release testing, we've seen that this is a solid, functional app, well worth the $10 asking price for musicians and anyone else who messes around with audio, despite -- or even because of -- its rudimentary, four-track-like functionality. It's stable, easy to use and useful."
More information at: Sonoma Wireworks
More information at: Sonoma Wireworks
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