Abstract
Today’s average music consumer likely enjoys his or her music without giving much thought to the underlying licensing and compensation systems that make their listening experience possible. Indeed, average consumers are unlikely to fully comprehend the complexities of these systems. This is not solely because consumers are uninformed or apathetic. Rather, it is because the licensing and compensation systems in place are highly complex, fragmented, and outdated. Since the early twentieth century, Congress has responded to technological advances within the music industry by enacting piecemeal reforms intended to solve emerging rights clearance problems resulting from such innovation. As a result, music licensing today operates within a system developed prior to, and unprepared for the Internet Age. At a time when music streaming is at an all-time high, existing licensing systems are failing industry players more than ever before—namely, songwriters and music publishers.
Last Page
43
Recommended Citation
Chris Marple,
The Times They are A-Changin': How Music's Mechanical Licensing System May Have Finally Moved Into the 21st Century,
26
Rich. J.L. & Tech
1
(2024).
Available at:
https://scholarship.richmond.edu/jolt/vol26/iss2/2