Senate Passes Bill to Compensate Songwriters, Producers Fairly for Streaming Music
Washington—Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today issued the following statement after the Senate passed the Music Modernization Act, a bipartisan bill to ensure songwriters and other content creators are compensated fairly for digital streaming music:
“Streaming music has completely changed the way we purchase and listen to music. Our bipartisan bill will ensure that songwriters, producers, sound engineers and other content creators are fairly compensated in the digital age.
“Licensing music for digital streaming under current copyright law is a cumbersome process that makes it hard for streaming companies to thrive and innovate. And a quirk of existing law means that the works by older artists have fewer protections.
“Our bill simplifies the current system for copyright licensing by creating a new license for digital streaming and a more transparent process to fairly compensate music creators and artists for their work.”
The bill:
- Ensures that songwriters, producers, sound mixers and engineers benefit from the growth of digital streaming and have a legal right to their royalties.
- Provides federal copyright protection for pre-1972 artists, while ensuring that the public can continue to enjoy older works through public domain and traditional exemptions for non-commercial use.
- Includes rigorous measures to find and reward songwriters whose creative works are used under the new license.
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