A federal court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has ruled in favor of Global Music Rights (GMR) against the Radio Music License Committee (RMLC) in an antitrust suit brought by RMLC, ruling that “…this district is not a proper venue to adjudicate this matter.”

GMR has long held that the proper venue is the Central District of California where it is headquartered and does its work to collect royalties on behalf of its songwriters within the $18 billion commercial radio industry. GMR filed its own antitrust suit in California, alleging that the RMLC’s 10,000-member stations are improperly colluding to suppress payments to songwriters.

The ruling by United States District Court Judge C. Darnell Jones, II, largely affirms the sweeping 2017 report and recommendation of U.S. Magistrate Judge Lynne Sitarski that rejected every one of RMLC’s arguments for filing the antitrust suit in Pennsylvania – a state where neither organization has an office or any employees, where no represented songwriters or publishers live, and where no relevant meetings or business has ever taken place. The 2017 report concluded that the RMLC suit was filed in Pennsylvania solely for tactical advantage.

In ruling that the Central District Court of California is the appropriate venue for the case, Judge Jones also found that the RMLC improperly attempting to use the Interim License Agreement between the parties to justify jurisdiction in Pennsylvania.

“Global Music Rights is an innovator in music rights and a tireless defender of music creators. We are gratified with Judge Jones’ clear ruling that RMLC’s lawsuit was improperly filed in Pennsylvania,” said Daniel Petrocelli, GMR’s lead attorney. “That decision clears the path for Global Music Rights to prosecute its case in California against the RMLC for unlawful boycotting and pricing activity.”

“I am thrilled with today’s victory,” said GMR Founder Irving Azoff. “Now Global Music Rights gets to expose the radio cartel’s bullying tactics. It’s always worth the wait when artists win.”

Colleen Kelley. Photo: Heather Durham

Colleen Kelley, former Senior Director, Legal & Business Affairs for Broadcast Music, Inc. has joined Dickinson Wright, PLLC’s Music Row Office as an Associate.

Licensed in Tennessee and California, Kelley has extensive experience in music licensing and entertainment legal affairs. While working at BMI, Kelley managed the Legal Department’s Business Affairs team, handled infringement and arbitration matters, and worked with the Licensing department providing counsel on various matters. Before that, Kelley gained law firm litigation experience and worked in Licensing and Legal Affairs for ClearBox Rights, LLC in Brentwood, Tennessee.

“I’ve been impressed by Ms. Kelley’s career accomplishments and undeniable skills for some time. Since meeting years ago, we always knew we would eventually work together. She’s become an extremely well-rounded lawyer, and will add quick value for our growing record, film and music publishing practices,” said Derek Crownover, Dickinson Wright’s International Head of Entertainment, Sports and Media Practice Group.

Kelley received her Bachelor of Business Administration in Music Business from Belmont University and her Juris Doctor from Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles, California. In 2014 Dickinson Wright opened the Music Row Office with three lawyers and to-date, has 15 lawyers working virtually exclusively in the entertainment, sports and media areas.

Kelley can be reached at ckelley@dickinsonwright.com and (615) 577-9608.

Rock band The Raconteurs will release their third studio LP, and first new project in more than a decade, on Friday, June 21.

Help Us Stranger will released via Jack White‘s Third Man Records and includes White, Brendan Benson, Jack Lawrence, and Patrick Keeler.

White and Benson penned all the songs on the album, except for the cover song “Hey Gyp (Dig The Slowness), which was written by Donovan. Recorded at Third Man Studio in Nashville, the album was produced by The Raconteurs and engineered by Joshua V. Smith. Longtime friends and musical collaborators helped make Help Us Stranger, including keyboardist/multi-instrumentalist Dean Fertita (The Dead Weather, Queens of the Stone Age) and Lillie Mae Rische and her sister Scarlett Rische. The album was mixed by Vance Powell and The Raconteurs at Blackbird Studios in Nashville. The album follows the band’s 2006 debut Broken Boy Soldiers and 2008’s Consolers of the Lonely.

On Saturday, April 6, the band will return to the stage with a performance at Third Man Records’ 10-year anniversary in Nashville. The group also has a number of festival and headlining dates, including their first shows in Australia and New Zealand, a return to Japan, the UK and Europe, and US festivals including Woodstock 50 slated for 2019.

Bored and Razed
Help Me Stranger
Only Child
Don’t Bother Me
Shine The Light On Me
Somedays (I Don’t Feel Like Trying)
Hey Gyp (Dig The Slowness)
Sunday Driver
Now That You’re Gone
Live A Lie
What’s Yours Is Mine
Thoughts and Prayers

SoundCloud has rolled out an all-new profile experience for mobile Apple users and creators.

The new profile layout emphasizes SoundCloud’s core social features, and places a user’s identity, track uploads, likes and reposts front and center. And for creators, the updated profile comes with a brand new feature, ‘top tracks,’ providing more ways to showcase their work to fans.

SoundCloud offers a social streaming experience, and is the only music platform that enables authentic, real-time connections between creators and listeners. The profile is the epicenter of those connections, and today’s update offers a more direct way to connect, share, and discover.

April 2, 2019 Soundcloud Updates

1. A reconfigured layout placing a creator or listener’s profile photo, header image, biography and ‘Pinned to Spotlight’ at the top so users can showcase their brand, and fans can easily navigate to featured tracks.
2. A new dedicated ‘share profile’ button to make sharing a profile instantly with friends, fans, collaborators, and industry contacts easier than ever, anytime.
3. The introduction of top tracks, which highlights a creator’s most played tracks in the last 90 days, enables new fans to discover a creator’s most popular tracks, fast.

The global recorded music market grew by 9.7% in 2018, marking the fourth consecutive year of growth, according to the newly-released report from IFPI. Figures released today in IFPI’s Global Music Report 2019 show total revenues for 2018 were US$19.1 billion.

Streaming revenue grew by 34%, and accounted for nearly half (47%) of global revenue, and was driven by a 32.9% increase in paid subscription streaming. 255 million users paid for streaming services at the end of 2018, with paid streaming accounting for 37% of total recorded music revenue. This growth offset the 10.1% decline in physical revenue and 21.2% decline in download revenue.

Performance rights revenue increased 9.8%, while synch revenue was up 5.2% in 2018.

For a fourth consecutive year, Latin America was the fastest-growing region at 16.8% growth, with Brazil at 15.4% growth and Mexico at 14.7% growth. The Asia and Australasia region (+11.7%) grew to become the second-largest region for combined physical and digital revenue, with especially strong growth in South Korea (+17.9%).

Frances Moore, chief executive of IFPI, said: “Last year represented the fourth consecutive year of growth, driven by great music from incredible artists in partnership with talented, passionate people in record companies around the world. Record companies continue their investment in artists, people and innovation both in established markets and developing regions that are increasingly benefitting from being part of today’s global music landscape. As music markets continue to develop and evolve, it is imperative that the appropriate legal and business infrastructure is in place to ensure that music is fairly valued, and that the revenues are returned to rights holders to support the next cycle of development. We continue to work for the respect and recognition of music copyright around the world, and for the resolution of the value gap by establishing a level playing field for negotiating a fair deal for those who create music. Above all, we are working to ensure that music continues its exciting, global journey.”

The full report can be read at ifpi.org.