Notes and Votes: Use of Copyrighted Music at Live Political Events: Addendum

Carolyn Wimbly Martin and Charlotte Cuccia

This post is an update. You can read the original post here. From Ronald Reagan and Bruce Springsteen to Donald Trump and Neil Young, the contention between politicians and musical artists who find their copyrighted music being played in political campaigns is nothing new. Our earlier post discussed the use of this music at live […]

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50-Year Anniversary of Federal Copyright Protection for Sound Recordings

Ethan Barr

Sound recordings — i.e., the recorded versions of musical works — were not protected by federal copyright law until Congress passed legislation on February 15, 1972, giving them limited protection. Until the passage of Title II of the Music Modernization Act (“MMA”) in 2018, sound recordings created before February 15, 1972 were only protected to […]

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American Music Fairness Act: Implications for Musicians and Radio Stations

Ethan Barr

When the pandemic upended the music industry, musicians live-streamed on services like Instagram Live, Zoom and Twitch to recoup lost concert revenue. They pivoted from fully equipped record label studios to furnishing their own in-home recording studios. Revenue from studio-recorded music also did not appear to suffer, given the ubiquity of streaming services and other […]

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