BMI wins lawsuit against Pandora

Online radio service will have to pay more to some artists

0

Spin is reporting that internet radio service, Pandora, has lost a lawsuit filed by music publisher BMI, meaning Pandora will have to pay higher royalty fees to some but not all artists.

A previous lawsuit by rival music publisher ASCAP had sought the same ends, but was not successful.

From the article…

“The issues were exactly the same, as seen in court documents obtained by
SPIN. Certain publishers within BMI wanted to get more money for their
music, and the radio provider wanted to quash that. But this judge shot
Pandora down, citing contractual details between BMI and the people in
its stable. While ASCAP’s agreement with its publishers didn’t allow for
withdrawal, it turns out BMI’s does — seemingly with this exact
scenario in mind.”

 This lawsuit comes as the backlash against streaming media services grows with high-profile musicians like Thom Yorke of Radiohead and David Byrne speaking out against low royalties and in some cases, retracting their music from streaming services.

You can read the full story here.