{"id":2621,"date":"2014-02-27T17:43:27","date_gmt":"2014-02-27T17:43:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/syncsummit.com\/qa-with-congressman-doug-collins-r-ga-and-the-songwriter-equity-act-copy\/"},"modified":"2014-02-27T17:43:28","modified_gmt":"2014-02-27T17:43:28","slug":"sea-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/syncsummit.com\/sea-2\/","title":{"rendered":"QA with Congressman Doug Collins (R-GA) and the Songwriter Equity Act Copy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><i style=\"font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em;\">February 25, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #c31000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/dougcollins.house.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #c31000; text-decoration: underline;\">Congressman Doug Collins<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/span> (R-GA), introduced to Congress the <strong>Songwriter Equity Act<\/strong> (SEA) to establish a more fair and equitable rate of songwriter compensation based on free market factors.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n<p><a style=\"text-align: center;\" href=\"http:\/\/dougcollins.house.gov\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2540 aligncenter\" alt=\"Congressman Doug Collins Headshot\" src=\"http:\/\/syncsummit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/DAC-HEADSHOT-199x300.png\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/syncsummit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/DAC-HEADSHOT-199x300.png 199w, https:\/\/syncsummit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/DAC-HEADSHOT.png 399w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b><i>Here\u2019s the breakdown:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><i>The aim of the SEA is to revise two antiquated portions of the <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.copyright.gov\/title17\/92chap1.html\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #c31000; text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Copyright Act<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/span>, specifically <a href=\"http:\/\/www.copyright.gov\/title17\/92chap1.html#114\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #c31000; text-decoration: underline;\">Section 114(i)<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a> and <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.copyright.gov\/title17\/92chap1.html#115\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #c31000;\"><strong>Section 115<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/span>, which define the ways and means that the <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.loc.gov\/crb\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #c31000;\"><strong>Copyright Royalty Board<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/span> (CRB \u2013 a Federal &#8220;rate court&#8221; consisting of three judges) uses when setting mechanical licensing rates of songwriter remuneration for the use of their works across live, offline and digital media.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>The SEA would revise <a href=\"http:\/\/www.copyright.gov\/title17\/92chap1.html#114\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #c31000;\"><strong>Section 114(i)<\/strong><\/span><\/a> to allow the CRB to consider sound recording rates as evidence in their benchmarking of mechanical rates, something the CRB is currently forbidden from doing.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><strong>Today the CRB uses the following factors when calculating mechanical rates:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><i>Maximizing song availability of song usages; <\/i><\/li>\n<li><i>Fair return to the copyright owner; <\/i><\/li>\n<li><i>Fair income to song user; <\/i><\/li>\n<li><i>And minimization of industry disruption<\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><i>What these general terms actually mean is anyone\u2019s guess, and subject to wide interpretation.\u00a0 <\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>And, while these factors will still be used in the calculation of mechanical rates, if the SEA is passed the CRB will also be able to consider empirical licensing data from others types of licenses (sound, sync, etc.) based on market factors, as presented in evidence by the <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #c31000;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Performance_rights_organisation#United_States\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #c31000;\"><strong>Performance Rights Organizations<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span> (PROs) and others.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>Additionally, it aims to revise <a href=\"http:\/\/www.copyright.gov\/title17\/92chap1.html#115\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #c31000;\"><strong>Section 115<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, which has not been amended <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/White-Smith_Music_Publishing_Company_v._Apollo_Company\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #c31000;\"><strong>since 1909 when it was enacted to remunerate songwriters from the sales of player piano reels<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/span>, (seriously) to establish a statutory rate of compensation for songwriters that reflects current market value.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>Considering that in more than a century, the compulsory mechanical rate has only risen by <strong>450%<\/strong>\u00a0 (from\u00a0<strong>2<\/strong><\/i><strong><i style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\"><\/i><\/strong><i style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\"><strong>\u00a0cents in 1909 to 9.1 cents today<\/strong>), while <strong>o<\/strong>verall inflation has risen by<strong> over 2300% in the same period<\/strong> (which would result in a<strong> compulsory mechanical rate of ~$0.50 if adjusted strictly for inflation<\/strong>), clearly some reform in the way the CRB calculates compulsory rates is needed.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>The need for songwriter royalty remuneration reform is brought into further relief when you consider that <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.keanet.eu\/report\/collectivemanpdffinal.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #c31000;\"><strong>the rates in other countries are typically between 8%-10%<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/span> &#8212; which is <strong>a good deal more than 9.1 cents by any benchmark<\/strong>.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>It\u2019s no surprise that the SEA has received strong support from <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nmpa.org\/media\/showwhatsnew.asp?id=99\" target=\"_blank\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #c31000; text-decoration: underline;\">The National Music Publishers Association<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/a> (NMPA) and the PROs, with <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bmi.com\/news\/entry\/bmi_execs_on_capitol_hill_to_fight_for_songwriter_equity_act\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #c31000; text-decoration: underline;\">BMI<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/strong>, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ascap.com\/press\/2014\/0225-ascap-statement-on-sea.aspx\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #c31000; text-decoration: underline;\">ASCAP<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span> and <a href=\"http:\/\/sesac.com\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #c31000;\"><strong>SESAC<\/strong><\/span><\/a> all singing its praises, and even the <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #c31000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.riaa.com\/blog.php?content_selector=riaa-news-blog&amp;content_selector=riaa-news-blog&amp;blog_selector=Songwriter-Bill-&amp;news_month_filter=2&amp;news_year_filter=2014\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #c31000;\"><strong>RIAA<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span> has chimed in positively.<\/i><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2541\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/syncsummit.com\/sea\/\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2541\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2541 \" alt=\"Announcement of the Songwriter Equity Act\" src=\"http:\/\/syncsummit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/SEA.png\" width=\"700\" height=\"465\" srcset=\"https:\/\/syncsummit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/SEA.png 700w, https:\/\/syncsummit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/SEA-300x199.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2541\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">From L-R: David Israelite (NMPA), Daryl Friedman (Recording Academy), Paul Williams (ASCAP), Michael O\u2019Neill (BMI), Congressman Collins at podium.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><i style=\"line-height: 1.5em;\">And though it\u2019s highly unlikely we\u2019ll see mechanical rates jump more than fivefold from their current rate if the SEA becomes law to meet the rise in inflation since 1909, it seems clear that the CRB should be compelled to consider market factors and rates across all forms of licensing when calculating mechanical rates.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>This is what the SEA will allow the CRB to do. And that\u2019s a good thing.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b><i> Following is our interview with Congressman Collins: \u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><em><b> MF: Congressman Collins, what was the inspiration for the Songwriter Equity Act?<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n<p><b>Congressman Collins:<\/b> It was a combination of personal and practical.\u00a0 The idea of the SEA is to create a more level playing field for musicians and songwriters so they can get the pay they deserve.<\/p>\n<p>From a practical point of view, in my state alone (Georgia), there are more than 50,000 songwriters across Gospel, Pop, Rock, Hip-Hop R&amp;B and every type of music, and I want to help them succeed as musicians.<\/p>\n<p>After discussions with the PROs and songwriters, we realized that in the current system, the government is causing inequities for publishers and songwriters, and our goal with the SEA is to change this by creating a better playing field for the people that make music.<\/p>\n<p>From a personal point of view, my wife\u2019s family has musicians in Gospel, and seeing what they go through in getting music to the world also inspired what we\u2019re doing with the SEA.<\/p>\n<p><em><b>MF: From a practical level, how will the SEA create a more level playing field for songwriters?<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n<p><b>Congressman Collins: <\/b>By changing the current law so that the courts (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.loc.gov\/crb\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #c31000; text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>The Copyright Royalty Board<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/a>) consider other standards and license rates (like those for sound recordings), to allow songwriters to receive fair market value for their works from mechanical licenses. <i><\/i><\/p>\n<p>The goal is to make deals for songwriter compensation fair for the people making music rather than based on a compulsory rate. <i><\/i><\/p>\n<p><em><b>MF: Similar to the way sync licenses work in the US?<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n<p><b>Congressman Collins: <\/b>Exactly.\u00a0 In the sync field, the deals are determined by what the market will bear, based on market factors.<\/p>\n<p>By compelling the CRB to consider market factors in determining songwriter royalties, we aim to cerate a more level and fair playing field for the people that create music.<\/p>\n<p><em><b>MF: So why has it taken so long for Congress to take action on this point?\u00a0After all, Section 115 of the Copyright Act was written in 1909 to regulate player piano rolls, and over a century later the mechanical license fees have only gone up 7.1 cents (from 2 cents in 1909 to 9.1 cents today).<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n<p><b>Congressman Collins: <\/b>It\u2019s a complicated issue, and it has taken people a long time to react to all the changes in the industry, take a look at how it was affecting the business and the art and decide how we could try to change things for the better.<\/p>\n<p><em><b>MF: And how does the SEA fit into the Copyright Act as a whole?<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n<p><b>Congressman Collins: <\/b>Basically, it places a marker within the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.copyright.gov\/title17\/92chap1.html\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #c31000;\"><strong>Copyright Act<\/strong><\/span><\/a> saying, \u2018here\u2019s what we think is a good fix,\u2019 as well as providing guidelines on how the bill will be put together, with all the important players in developing the legislation.<\/p>\n<p><em><b>MF: And what kind of support does the Act have from the industry?<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n<p><b>Congressman Collins: <\/b>All the PROs (<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/ascap.com\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #c31000; text-decoration: underline;\">ASCAP<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span>, <a href=\"http:\/\/bmi.com\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #c31000; text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>BMI<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/sesac.com\" target=\"_blank\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #c31000; text-decoration: underline;\">SESAC<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/a>) are very supportive of the SEA, the <a href=\"http:\/\/riaa.com\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #c31000;\"><strong>RIAA<\/strong><\/span><\/a> is part of the discussion as well, and these discussions have been good and positive with industry veterans working in a solid fashion. <i><\/i><\/p>\n<p><em><b>MF: And what about Congressional support?\u00a0 Is there support across the aisle?<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n<p><b>Congressman Collins: <\/b>We\u2019ve had good conversations across the aisle, and I believe we\u2019re going to \u00a0see strong support for the SEA.<\/p>\n<p><em><b>MF: Finally, what would you like to see the act accomplish for songwriters?<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n<p><b>Congressman Collins:<\/b> To incentivize them, give them the encouragement and the strength to get the songs in their spirit out to the world and to give a better future for songwriters in the music business.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s the saddest thing for people not to feel they have a chance to share the song in their heart and bring it out to the world.\u00a0 We need to help them get it out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>February 25, Congressman Doug Collins (R-GA), introduced to Congress the Songwriter Equity Act (SEA) to establish a more fair and equitable rate of songwriter compensation based on free market factors.\u00a0 Here\u2019s the breakdown: The aim of the SEA is to revise two antiquated portions of the Copyright Act, specifically Section 114(i) and Section 115, which [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/syncsummit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2621"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/syncsummit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/syncsummit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/syncsummit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/syncsummit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2621"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/syncsummit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2621\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/syncsummit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2621"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/syncsummit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2621"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/syncsummit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}