Bring fairness to music licensing - a politcian's view

Jim Sensenbrenner

ARTICLE LINK: "Intellectual property rights are critical to our nation’s unsurpassed creativity and cultural development. I’ve long been an advocate for intellectual property rights because individuals deserve to be compensated for their work. However, the process in which these artists receive payment has become opaque. This is largely due to performing rights organizations (PROs), which operate in a convoluted fashion. The music licensing system in which artists are compensated must be clear and transparent for the good of artists, consumers and bar and restaurant owners.

Fairness in music licensing was brought to my attention in the early 1990s, when Wisconsin bar and restaurant owners from my district contacted me about being harassed in their places of business by representatives from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) — one of the three PROs in the U.S. While seeking payments from the small-business owners, ASCAP representatives were unnecessarily aggressive and combative."

More from this thought provoking and interesting blog article from Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) on the Congress Blog

http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/politics/282896-bring-fairness-to-music-licensing

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