November 29, 2016 Soundstr, a music technology startup aiming to bring fairness to real-world music usage, has closed a $1.1 million round of seed financing. CincyTech led the round with participation from entertainment data and technology company Gracenote, Accelerant and angel investors.
November 15, 2016 With the New Year just around the corner, it’s likely time to renew your music licensing agreements. But this industry is under some major changes that could impact all businesses. Music licensing is a dense topic. Some businesses attempt to avoid paying license fees. But the threat of expensive fines is all too real. New technology is helping businesses negotiate fairer fees and more songwriters get paid. It’s time to take a second look at this industry.
July 15, 2016 The NMPA and other songwriter and music publisher organizations have come out strongly against the recent decision by the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) which dealt a massive blow to America’s songwriters. After a two year review of the consent decrees that govern ASCAP and BMI, career lawyers who were never elected nor confirmed to their positions, led by a lawyer who previously worked with Google, determined that songwriters should have even fewer rights, less control over their intellectual property and be treated more unfairly than they already are being treated. The DOJ ignored the voices of copyright experts, members of Congress and thousands of songwriters and delivered a huge gift to tech companies who already benefit from egregiously low rates.