The Music Modernization Act passed the House of Representatives

[Swordsmyth]

Today, the Music Modernization Act passed the House of Representatives in a unanimous vote (there were no negative votes, but 16 representatives did not cast a vote). The bill still needs to be passed by the Senate, but considering the overwhelming support in the House, it seems like a safe bet that the MMA will become law soon. This comprehensive bill reforms the way the music business works in four different ways.
The biggest change is that it creates a publicly accessible database to identify who owns a song. This will make it easier for publishers and artists who own songs to get paid royalties, and it will also give those using a composition a blanket license to use it, as long as they pay the necessary royalties and fulfill reporting requirements.
The other changes include updating the statutory rate to reproduce a song to reflect market rates and assigning a random district judge from the state of New York to adjudicate rate disputes. The legislation also allows sound recording royalty rates to be taken into account when considering performance royalty rates for songwriters and composers.

More at: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/house...151400278.html

[jkr]

whew!
now THERE was a PRIORITY!

[phill4paul]

whew!
now THERE was a PRIORITY!

It was the allure of the word "royalty" that got them to prioritize.

[Anti Federalist]

Next up:

The Double Unified Helmet Safety Act or DUHS

[Anti Federalist]

While on the topic of royalties.


Sung to the tune of YMCA:

Comrade; steel production is down
I said Comrade, you must sleep on the ground
I said Comrade, cause the Tsars lost their crown
We got rid of the bourgeoise!

Comrade; no more fields you must hoe
I said Comrade, Bolsheviks are a go!
You'll own nothing, and I'm sure you will find
Communism is a good time!

It's fun to live in the U.S.S.R
It's fun to live in the U.S.S.R

We have everything, that the west has and more
With no money you can not be poor!

It's fun to live in the U.S.S.R
It's fun to live in the U.S.S.R

We have seized all the means,
of production for real
Now we need you to produce steel