Songwriters struggle to get paid while the copyright system designed to protect their rights is partially to blame, but why? In this episode of Musonomics, Larry Miller takes a look at how the copyright and royalty payment system is failing a new generation of songwriters.
Ari Leff, a developing songwriter/producer who records as LAUV, and Nashville songwriter Brett James, who has written huge hits for Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney and Martina McBride, share the struggles of modern songwriters. We take a look back at how the collective licensing system was put in place — and how the Consent Decrees that govern ASCAP and BMI fail to protect the economic interests of songwriters in the modern music-consumption landscape. With ASCAP’s Clara Kim, music attorney Chris Castle and The New Yorker’s John Seabrook, this episode is packed with expert analysis and insight into how our antiquated music copyright system is breaking down — and how we might start to mold a better future for American songwriters.
As always, you can listen to the new episode above via Soundcloud, or you can find it on iTunes, YouTube, and Stitcher.