On the first episode of the Artist Rights Watch, Nik Patel, David Lowery, and Chris Castle sit down with Ivors Academy Chair, Crispin Hunt to talk about the latest issues with frozen mechanical royalties. Frozen mechanicals is essentially keeping the mechanical royalty rate the same and not accounting for inflation. Increasing the royalty rate in the case of inflation, does not actually increase the effectiveness of a higher royalty, but rather just maintained buyer power. In the past, the music industry has experienced a $0.02 mechanical royalty rate that lasted for 70 years, and with the current mechanical royalty rate of $0.091 being set in the early 2000s, advocates hope it’s not a repeat of the past. In this Artist Rights Watch episode, we cover its numerous implications and consequences such as controlled compositions clauses, the Copyright Royalty Board, CPI and fixed increases, how the UK compares, and potential resolutions. 

Below are some links for further reading on frozen mechanicals and Crispin Hunt:

Controlled Compositions Clauses and Frozen Mechanicals. Chris Castle
https://musictechpolicy.com/2020/10/10/controlled-compositions-clauses-and-frozen-mechanicals/
What Would @TaylorSwift13 and Eddie @cue Do? One Solution to the Frozen Mechanical Problem. Chris Castle
https://musictech.solutions/2021/05/13/what-would-taylor-and-eddie-do-one-solution-to-the-frozen-mechanical-problem/
Thrichordist posts on frozen mechanicals
https://thetrichordist.com/category/frozen-mechanicals/
The Ivors Academy Joins the No Frozen Mechanicals Campaign
https://thetrichordist.com/2021/06/07/the-ivors-academy-joins-the-no-frozen-mechanicals-campaign/
Year-End 2020 RIAA Revenue Statistics
https://www.riaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/2020-Year-End-Music-Industry-Revenue-Report.pdf
Crispin Hunt
https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/people/crispin-hunt/

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       https://www.nikpatelmusic.com

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ARW Ep. 1 - Frozen Mechanicals w/Crispin Hunt

On this episode of the Artist Rights Watch, Nik Patel, David Lowery, and Chris Castle sit down with music advocate, Mala Sharma to talk about the latest legislations in music policy in the state of Georgia. 
Below are some links for further reading on Georgia music policy and the legislations we discussed in the episode:

HB 226 Introduced by Representative Gregg Kennard( D-Lawrenceville Ga District 102). This bill would exempt sales and use tax for tickets and fees for fine arts performances.  This bill would re-instate an exemption that existed a few years back that ended due to sunset clause.  For theatres, fine art centres that are suffering during Covid, this would provide additional opportunity for them to recover.  

SB 157 Senator Bill Cowsert(R- Athens District 46) will reintroduce this bill from last year.  It aims to protect the trademark of musical recording artists. 35 states have already passed this protection for legacy artists. Mary Wilson, was a big supporter of this bill and moving forward will be called the Mary Wilson Truth in Music Advertising Bill. The legislation provides that the name of a famous musical group cannot be used by a group of performers unless they include at least one member of the original group. The intent of the legislation is to prevent unfair or deceptive trade practices, and to protect the livelihood of musicians who were in famous musical groups.  This bill is supported by the RIAA, artists organisations around the country as well as in Georgia.   It passed through the Consumer Affairs committee unanimously.  It will go to the Rules committee next.

HB 508 Introduced by Kasey Carpenter (R-Dalton Ga District 4).  This bill is similar to the SB157 in providing protection to legacy artists names and unfair trade practices.  Additionally it requires online sites that deal “in substantial part in the electronic dissemination” of commercial recordings or audiovisual works to properly display true name and address information on the site.  The law is the online equivalent of True Name and Address statutes across the country intended to protect consumers and the legitimate marketplace.  Currently, Tennessee and Florida have these already in place.  This is supported by the MPAA, RIAA, Artists Rights Coalition, labels and artists.  This bill will be going in front of the House Creative Industries Committee for the first hearing.  

HB486 Introduced by Representative Beth Moore( D-Peachtree Courners, District 95).  This standalone bill would provide musical licenses used in qualified productions of film, tv, video games to be counted towards the minimum spend provided the composition is created, held by Georgia based composers.  This legislation would incentivise film/tv and digital entertainment company to use songs and compositions from Georgia based creators.  This bill will be going in front of the House Creative Industries Committee for the first hearing.  

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       https://www.nikpatelmusic.com

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Terms of Use: https://artistrightswatchdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2021/01/arw-podcast-terms-of-use-v-1-i-1.pdf

ARW Ep 2. - Georgia Music Policy w/Mala Sharma

On this episode of the Artist Rights Watch, Nik Patel, David Lowery, and Chris Castle sit down with Alan Graham to talk about the latest trend in musicians releasing NFTs. NFT stands for non-fungible token. Purchasers are those who view NFTs as a way to support artists, actors, musicians, and athletes. Most NFTs can be reasonably priced for creatives to monetise their work; especially in a current climate of no live show revenues. NFTs can represent the ownership of an original copy of a song, album, Merch, or any unique item. They are held in the blockchain where it cannot be copied or deleted. Buyers hope that the NFT will increase in value over time and be a good investment. It is not something tangible that can be displayed like a work of art or trading cards. You need to store your NFTs in a digital space. NFTs are more about the digital token rather than the art itself. The value of owning something as scarce as a digital authentication of originality is what is really being bought.

Below are some links for further reading on NFTs relation to music:

National Law Review
https://www.natlawreview.com/article/coming-blockchain-revolution-consumption-digital-art-and-music-thinking-lawyer-s

Artists are selling their music as NFTs - and they’re making millions. Sam Willings
https://www.musictech.net/news/artists-selling-music-nft-making-millions/

The Weeknd’s ‘Acepthalous’ NFT features new music and limited edition art. Christopher Harris
https://www.revolt.tv/news/2021/4/3/22365418/the-weeknds-acephalous-nft

ASAP Rocky to Offer His First-ever NFT Collection. Joshua Espinoza
https://www.complex.com/music/asap-rocky-first-ever-nft-collection

NFTs Shift Power to Artists as the Music Business Evolves. Matthew Leising.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-07/nfts-shift-power-to-artists-as-the-music-business-evolves

NFTs for Music Explained (in Musician Terms). Ari Herstand
https://aristake.com/nfts-for-music


Below are our social links and terms of use:

Chris: http://www.christiancastle.com/chris-castle
David: https://twitter.com/davidclowery?s=20
	https://www.instagram.com/davidclowery/
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       https://www.nikpatelmusic.com

Website: https://artistrightswatch.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artistrightswatch
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArtistRights?s=20

Terms of Use: https://artistrightswatchdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2021/01/arw-podcast-terms-of-use-v-1-i-1.pdf

The Artist Rights Watch: A Podcast