Agreement Royale

On September 23, songwriters, publishers, record labels and digital music services announced they had reached an agreement on mechanical royalties for songs played on online music services.

Called a “breakthrough that will facilitate new ways to offer music to consumers online,” the voluntary agreement crafted by the Digital Media Association (DiMA), the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), the RIAA, the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) and the Songwriters Guild of America (SGA) ended a longstanding dispute about mechanical royalties for interactive streaming and limited downloads.

According to the agreement, which still must be approved by the Copyright Royalty Board to take effect, limited download and interactive streaming services will pay a mechanical royalty of 10.5 percent of revenue, less any amounts owed for performance royalties. In certain instances, royalty-free promotional streaming is allowed.

This agreement garnered a significant amount of press and blog coverage last week, but lots of it jumped to the conclusion that this was the answer to the ongoing digital performance royalty fight between SoundExchange and webcasters like Pandora and soma.fm. Not so. That’s a different issue, related to a different part of copyright. We know this stuff can be horribly confusing, so we’ve put this blog post together in an effort to explain what happened last week, and how it affects musicians, music services and webcasters.

What’s a mechanical royalty?

The mechanical royalty is the fee paid to the publishers of a musical composition for the reproduction and distribution of the work. The publishers usually pass a share of this royalty on to the songwriters and composers. In the physical world, mechanical royalties for songs that have already been recorded are calculated as a payment-per-song- manufactured rate. Labels – a.k.a the licensed “manufacturer” of a musical work – have two options: they can rely on the statutory rate, which is currently 9.1¢ per song, or they can negotiate with the publisher to try to come up with a different rate.

For the purposes of this blog post, let’s just use the example that a record label releases an album that has 10 songs on it. Based on the statutory rate, it owes the publisher 91¢ in mechanical royalties for every album that’s manufactured. If the songwriter has a publishing deal, these payments are usually made to her/his publisher, or to Harry Fox if the publisher is a member of HFA. The publisher then splits the royalties with the songwriter and composer according to the terms of the publishing deal. For self-published writers, the royalty goes directly from the label to the songwriter.

Read More at the Future of Music Coalition...
http://futureofmusic.org/blog/2008/10/01/agreement-royale

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Em "Is That Right!"

Mandela: His 8 Lessons of Leadership

Mandela: His 8 Lessons of Leadership

Nelson Mandela has always felt most at ease around children, and in some ways his greatest deprivation was that he spent 27 years without hearing a baby cry or holding a child's hand. Last month, when I visited Mandela in Johannesburg — a frailer, foggier Mandela than the one I used to know — his first instinct was to spread his arms to my two boys. Within seconds they were hugging the friendly old man who asked them what sports they liked to play and what they'd had for breakfast. While we talked, he held my son Gabriel, whose complicated middle name is Rolihlahla, Nelson Mandela's real first name. He told Gabriel the story of that name, how in Xhosa it translates as "pulling down the branch of a tree" but that its real meaning is "troublemaker."

As he celebrates his 90th birthday next week, Nelson Mandela has made enough trouble for several lifetimes. He liberated a country from a system of violent prejudice and helped unite white and black, oppressor and oppressed, in a way that had never been done before. In the 1990s I worked with Mandela for almost two years on his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom. After all that time spent in his company, I felt a terrible sense of withdrawal when the book was done; it was like the sun going out of one's life. We have seen each other occasionally over the years, but I wanted to make what might be a final visit and have my sons meet him one more time.

I also wanted to talk to him about leadership. Mandela is the closest thing the world has to a secular saint, but he would be the first to admit that he is something far more pedestrian: a politician. He overthrew apartheid and created a nonracial democratic South Africa by knowing precisely when and how to transition between his roles as warrior, martyr, diplomat and statesman. Uncomfortable with abstract philosophical concepts, he would often say to me that an issue "was not a question of principle; it was a question of tactics." He is a master tactician.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1821467-1,00.html#ixzz0XGCowpQ8 or click the post title

Madden Music Lovers

DJ FATHOM and Tapwire is bring you the "UNOFFICIAL MADDEN SOUNDTRACK." Over 60 minutes of unCharted Hits a must hear while playing your friends, who think they can beat. Streaming on www.whooptonez.net now! (click the post title)

Wisdom Wednesday: My People

Every Wednesday I post social conversations to discuss and share our honest opinions, ideals and Wisdom. All of us have a value worth sharing, and it may motivate another to stop, continue and or begin a certain process in their personal or social life.

Topic Conversation
This next piece is something I wrote as part of an exercise, about "My People"

My People are tough strong minded individuals of various thoughts and backgrounds, not all Muslims. People who are appreciative, but do not take them for granted. Very respectful to prevent disrespect. Smart people who guard against deceit. My people are playful and love to have when necessary; grateful down to earth folks.

Please comment about, Who are your people?

"Is That Right"

image found at www.ogleforarlington.com

Wisdom Wednesday: A Mature Cartoon Watcher

Every Wednesday I post social conversations to discuss and share our honest opinions, ideals and Wisdom. All of us have a value worth sharing, and it may motivate another to stop, continue and or begin a certain process in their personal or social life.

Topic of Conversation

A little fun from the norm of conversations. I am an avid watcher of "Cartoons". Both my children and I can sit together and watch my favorite retro cartoons, even a few of the new ones as well such as; X-Men: Wolverine and Evolution, the Amazing, the Spectacular and the regular Spiderman. I even have an account on Joost with a que of Fat Albert episodes, "Bubblegum for a Bubblehead" Russel's sarcasm at its finest....lol

I can say its simple entertainment in which I enjoy even without my crew. Most males enjoy watching sports; football, baseball, soccer and/ or hoops. Not me, this past New Year's Eve I stayed in and watched a marathon of Spiderman episodes on Disney.

I know, I am not the only one who enjoys a good mini-drama of animation. With all the maturity I utilize among peers and colleagues I must say, "Cartoons are better entertainment for me". What about you what are your entertainment enjoys? Let us know

"Is That Right!"

Relax and groove w/ DJ Stealth

LA's own DJ Stealth of Beatology Music. Well known for his skillful abilities has landed him collaborations with George Clinton, Eazy E (R.I.P), Above The Law and many more. Managing his own label, "Beatology Music" has evolved into an diverse enterprise housing multi- platinum selling artists and producers. Guided by the example of success; Stealth currently has professional relationships with many of the industry majors including Interscope, Geffen, A&M and Warner Bros. You catch Stealth every Saturday night at the Boom Boom Room, so slow it down and groove with WhoopTonez.net on this Grown and Sexy Mix called the Dust Vinyl Mix.

Listen to IN-THA-MIXX for your streaming listening pleasure....WhoopWoop! "dot com"