The Changing Nature of Sound Recording Rights
Eric J. Schwartz will be speaking on the panel, "The Changing Nature of Sound Recording Rights," during the online conference, The Evolving Music Ecosystem, hosted by The Center for the Protection of Intellectual Property (CPIP) at Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University. This panel will take place on Wednesday, September 9, 2020 at 12:00 PM (EDT). The conference takes place September 9 to 11.
This unique conference continues an ongoing dialogue on the music ecosystem. In its inaugural year in the D.C. area, the conference aims to bring together musicians, music fans, lawyers, artist advocates, business leaders, government policymakers, and anyone interested in supporting thriving music ecosystems in the U.S. and beyond.
In addition to panels and presentations, GRAMMY award-winning singer/songwriter Rosanne Cash will be giving a keynote speech.
The sound recording category of music copyrights has been more limited in some ways than the composition category. They received no federal protection before 1972 and then afterwards did not apply to terrestrial radio broadcasts. The recent Music Modernization Act extended a measure of protection to pre-’72 sound recordings, while proposed legislation would allow sound recording owners to seek compensation from terrestrial radio stations for public performances of the works similar to the system for digital webcasters and streaming. The panel will discuss the current state of sound recordings, their curious history under U.S. law, and their future in the digital streaming age.
