Future of Music Coalition Statement on Copyright Royalty Board Rulings

Washington, D.C. — Future of Music Coalition has issued the following statement from Executive Director Ann Chaitovitz about the Copyright Royalty Board’s October 2 rate setting decision, which sets the compulsory mechanical rate at $0.091 per song for physical sales and digital downloads and $0.24 for mastertones.
“Future of Music Coalition is encouraged that the parties involved in the proceedings seem pleased with the decision, and looks forward to reading the entire CRB decision when it is made public.
“As an organization that has consistently worked towards the creation of a musicians’ middle class, Future of Music Coalition believes that current and emerging structures should reward artists while forging new opportunities for the licensed distribution of music. Creators must be compensated for work that brings value to the digital services, and the mechanical royalty is how songwriters get paid for these uses of their music. And fans need a means to legally consume music in a way that works for them; we hope this decision helps them do so.
“Additionally, Future of Music Coalition commends the songwriters, publishers, record labels and digital music services for reaching an agreement on a particularly important issue in the digital music space — the rates for limited downloads and interactive streams. We hope other lingering royalty and licensing disputes can be resolved in a way that benefits musicians and allows fans to participate in a robust and legitimate digital music marketplace.”
FMC blog post about the voluntary agreement regarding mechanical royalties for interactive streaming and digital downloads:http://futureofmusiccoalition.blogspot.com/2008/10/agreement-royale.html
FMC blog post about the passage of the Webcaster Settlement Act of 2008, which allows for implementation of an agreement between parties regarding digital broadcast royalties:http://futureofmusiccoalition.blogspot.com/2008/09/webcasting-call.html
About the Future of Music CoalitionFuture of Music Coalition is a national non-profit education, research and advocacy organization that seeks a bright future for creators and listeners. FMC works towards this goal through continuous interaction with its primary constituency — musicians — and in collaboration with other creator/public interest groups.