Issues

In early 2022, California Assembly member Ash Kalra introduced A.B. 2926–a.k.a. The FAIR Act–a bill intended to close a loophole in Section 2855 of the California Labor Code otherwise known as the “Seven Year Rule.”

Concert ticketing has become a rigged system where bots, scalpers, and deceptive platforms exploit fans and undermine artists' ability to connect with their audiences at fair prices.

In early 2022, California Assembly member Ash Kalra introduced A.B. 2926–a.k.a. The FAIR Act–a bill intended to close a loophole in Section 2855 of the California Labor Code otherwise known as the “Seven Year Rule.”

The Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) issues determinations on how digital service providers pay out royalties [...]

The American Law Institute (ALI) is crafting its first “Restatement” on an area of law otherwise governed by statute: copyright.

The Music Modernization Act (MMA) passed in October 2018, reforming the process of music licensing and creating a formalized body, run by publishers, that administers the "mechanical licensing" of compositions streamed on services like Spotify and Apple Music.

Sen. Thom Tillis (N.C.) has introduced legislation that updates and modernizes the Digital Millennium Copyright Act - the key law that protects musicians creations from copyright circumvention online. 

In late 2020, the Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Committee of the United Kingdom Parliament opened an investigation into music streaming economics.

Streaming giant Spotify announced in November 2020 that it was launching “Discovery Mode.” Spotify says this gives artists and labels the opportunity to receive reduced royalties in exchange for Spotify prioritizing their songs.

The United States is alone as the only major country in which AM/FM radio stations pay absolutely no royalties to performers or copyright owners when they play a song on the air. 

California, like many other states, struggles to combat police abuses, provide transparency and accountability, and provide justice to the public.

On June 5, 2019 the Department of Justice announced that it opened a review of its consent decrees with The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and Broadcast Music, Inc.

In December 2018 California Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez introduced AB5, a bill intended to make it more difficult for companies to classify workers as independent contractors rather than employees.