Archive for January, 2009

29
Jan

The Orchard Selected To Join DDEX Board

   Posted by: mwatkins    in Publishing News

Digital Data Exchange (DDEX) announced that The Orchard has joined DDEX as a Charter Member and has accepted a seat on the DDEX Board. The Orchard joins existing DDEX Board members including music content companies EMI Music, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group; music rights societies The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), The Harry Fox Agency Inc. (HFA), The MCPS-PRS Alliance Limited, Sociedad General de Autores y Editores (SGAE) and Société des Auteurs, Compositeurs et Éditeurs de Musique (SACEM); and digital and mobile service providers Apple Inc., France Telecom, Microsoft Corp., RealNetworks Inc, and Telefónica Servicios de Música S.A.U. Dan Pifer, EVP Operations & Technology at The Orchard, will sit on the DDEX Board as Orchard’s representative.

“DDEX is delighted that The Orchard has agreed to join DDEX as a Charter Member. Their outstanding track record in the digital marketing and distribution of independent label content is second to none,”said Chris Amenita, ASCAP, the chair of DDEX. “We are all looking forward to working on DDEX’s technical specifications with the experts that The Orchard will be able to make available.”

“We are pleased at the opportunity to contribute to DDEX and also, ensure that the independent music sector has a seat at the table”, said Pifer, “The adoption of standards is crucial for the continued growth of our industry and for the adoption and propagation of new technologies that support the marketing efforts of labels and artists.”

To this end, The Orchard will be taking a lead role in looking at how DDEX might apply standards in the exchange of digital data in the web 2.0 space as it relates to marketing and promotion of artists on social networking sites and other platforms.

In October 2008, DDEX announced a wave of implementations of its digital communication standards. Implementations have been completed by digital music service providers including iTunes, Muzak, Real Networks, SFR and Telefónica Servicios de Música S.A.U., music content companies Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group, and music rights societies, ASCAP, BMI, HFA, MCPS-PRS, SACEM and SGAE. Since October a number of other implementation partnerships have been announced and the existing implementers continue to roll out use of the DDEX standards with the rest of their business partners.

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29
Jan

HFA’s Research & Clearance Services Gets GRAMMY-Nominated Tracks Licensed For Voter Listening Service

   Posted by: mwatkins    in Publishing News


Url: http://www.harryfox.com/
HFA’s Research & Clearance Services Gets GRAMMY®-Nominated Tracks Licensed for Voter Listening Service

January 26, 2009 – The Harry Fox Agency, Inc. (HFA), a leading U.S. music rights licensing organization, is pleased to announce the results of its collaboration with The Recording Academy® in order to quickly license their on-demand listening service of GRAMMY®-nominated tracks for voter consideration. HFA provided The Recording Academy with a one-stop shop for research and clearance service not only for catalogs already represented by HFA, but also for non-represented material, identifying all tracks for each nominated album in selected categories, matching these sound recordings to the publishing ownership information, and obtaining mechanical licensing authority.

“Thanks to HFA’s robust database and extensive industry knowledge, we were able to license the requested GRAMMY-nominated categories in a period of less than two weeks from the announcement of the nominations,” said Gary Churgin, President & CEO, HFA. “This is the second year we have worked closely with The Recording Academy on this GRAMMY voter listening service, and we look forward to a continuing relationship in the years to come.”

“In this digital era, it was critical for us to quickly get these tracks up on the GRAMMY website for voter consideration, and HFA’s staff did a remarkable job in researching and clearing a high volume of licenses,” said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. “With more than 80 years of experience, HFA has established deep relationships with publishers and record labels and is respected as the one place to go for mechanical licensing and administration services.”

About HFA Established in 1927 by the National Music Publishers’ Association, HFA represents almost 36,000 music publishers for their licensing needs in the United States, issuing licenses and collecting and distributing the associated royalties. In addition to being the premier mechanical licensing agent in the U.S., which includes CDs, ringtones, digital downloads, interactive streams, limited downloads and more, HFA is dedicated to finding new ways for its affiliated publishers to recognize value for their catalogs, including lyrics and tablature. Further, HFA provides collection and monitoring services to its publisher clients for music distributed and sold in over 95 territories around the world. For more information about HFA, or to become an affiliate publisher or a licensee, see www.harryfox.com.

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29
Jan

RIAA Comments On WTO Panel Decision On China IPR Case

   Posted by: mwatkins    in Publishing News

The WTO issued its decision on the United States’ complaint against China for its lack of proper protection and enforcement of certain forms of intellectual property as required by existing trade laws. Neil Turkewitz, Executive Vice President, International Relations, Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) offered the following statement:

“We are very pleased that the WTO has ruled in favor of the United States on essential parts of this case. Importantly, the WTO held that TRIPS obligations must be understood in context, and that the requirement under existing trade agreements to provide effective enforcement means nations can’t simply go through the motions, but that results matter. We hope that today’s decision leads China and other WTO members to enhance their protection of intellectual property.

While it is unfortunate that the panel felt that it needed more information on the technical issue of criminal thresholds, we are satisfied with the decision on this key point—that enforcement must be effective not only in law but in practice, and that standards of effectiveness change over time and reflect the realities of the marketplace.”

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6
Jan

2009 ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO Announced

   Posted by: mwatkins    in Publishing News

Music Creator Conference Set for April 23-25, 2009 in Los Angeles

Los Angeles / New York, October 30, 2008: ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) will stage its fourth annual ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO in Los Angeles next spring where top songwriters, composers, producers and industry professionals will come together to share their knowledge and expertise on a broad range of topics of great importance to today’s music creators. The three-day event will take place at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel, April 23-25, 2009.

The ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO is the only music creator conference of its kind. It covers all genres of music and includes panels, workshops, master classes, keynotes, One-on-One sessions, song critiquing, networking events, product displays, state-of-the-art technology demonstrations, performances, and more.

“At the heart of the EXPO is a true spirit of community of the most successful songwriters, composers and industry experts and those just starting out,” said Marilyn Bergman, ASCAP President and Chairman.”The EXPO continues to grow because it offers a unique experience to those who are serious about their careers. Participants connect face to face with music creators and industry leaders and leave with tools they can put to use in today’s music world.”

Since its inaugural year, the ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO has attracted more than 6,000 music creators, industry professionals, exhibitors and sponsors, and is expected to bring together another large gathering in 2009. According to a survey of members and non-members who attended the 2008 “I Create Music” EXPO, 93 percent rated the event as Excellent or Good, and 93 percent rated the event as meeting or exceeding expectations. The most favored elements included panels and programs with accomplished songwriters, composers and producers; panels about legal issues, copyright, royalties and other business topics; and the array of networking opportunities.

Panelists and performers for the 2009 ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO will be announced in the coming months. Past EXPOs have attracted some of the biggest names in music, both on the creative and business side, with headliner interviews featuring Bon Jovi, Jackson Browne, Steve Miller, Tom Petty and Randy Newman.

Early bird pricing and registration opens on November 3, 2008. For more information, please visit www.ascap.com/expo.

Several music organizations are supporting the 2009 ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO, including: American Association of Independent Music (A2IM); American Composers Forum (ACF); American Federation of Television & Radio Artists (AFTRA); American Music Center (AMC); Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP); Berklee College of Music Alumni Association; California Copyright Conference (CCC); College/University Music Programs; Foreign Performing Rights Organizations (PRO); Girls Rock & Girls Rule; GoGirlsMusic.com; The Harry Fox Agency, Inc. (HFA); International Songwriting Competition (ISC); MENC (The National Association for Music Education); Meet the Composer (MTC); Music Publishers Association (MPA); NJ Songwriters in the Round; Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI); National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA); The Philadelphia Songwriters Project; Regional/State/Local Songwriter Associations; Songwriters Guild of America (SGA); The Society of Composers and Lyricists (SCL); Society of Singers (SOS); SongNet; Songsalive!; Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF); SoundExchange; TAXI; NARAS: The Recording Academy®; USA Songwriting Competition; and West Coast Songwriters Association. Special registration discounts are available to affiliates of these organizations.

Members of the press may apply for credentials at www.ascap.com/press/pressroom/expo/.

About ASCAP
Established in 1914, ASCAP is the first and leading U.S. Performing Rights Organization (PRO) representing the world’s largest repertory totaling over 8.5 million copyrighted musical works of every style and genre from more than 330,000 songwriter, composer and music publisher members. ASCAP has representation arrangements with similar foreign organizations so that the ASCAP repertory is represented in nearly every country around the world where copyright law exists. ASCAP protects the rights of its members and foreign affiliates by licensing the public performances of their copyrighted works and distributing royalties based upon surveyed performances. ASCAP is the only American PRO owned and governed by its writer and publisher members. www.ascap.com

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6
Jan

ASCAP Congratulates Our 2009 Golden Globe Nominees

   Posted by: mwatkins    in Publishing News

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced nominees for the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards Thursday, December 11, and ASCAP composers highlight the Best Original Score and Best Original Song categories. ASCAP congratulates our nominees. The awards will be presented January 11th. The ceremony will be televised on NBC.

ASCAP congratulates its nominees:

Best Original Score - Motion Picture

Clint Eastwood, Composer (ASCAP)
Changeling

James Newton Howard, Composer (ASCAP)
Defiance

Hans Zimmer, Composer (ASCAP)
Frost/Nixon

Best Original Song - Motion Picture

Jamie Cullum, Music by (PRS)
Clint Eastwood, Music by (ASCAP)
Kyle Eastwood, Music & Lyrics by (ASCAP)
Michael Stevens, Music & Lyrics by (ASCAP)
Gran Torino · Song: “Gran Torino”

Beyoncé Knowles, Music and Lyrics by (ASCAP)
Cadillac Records · Song: “Once In A Lifetime”

Bruce Springsteen, Music & Lyrics by (ASCAP)
The Wrestler · Song: “The Wrestler”