# If you're a US based composer/songwriter, please consider signing



## RiffWraith (Jan 10, 2018)

Hey all... been a while.

https://www.gopetition.com/petition...ongress-pass-the-music-modernization-act.html

Have a look at it, and please consider signing it. Also, you can do some research on "streaming royalties" and see that if something is not done, very few of us are going be able to make a living a few years down the road.

Furthermore, if you have any Qs, come join this thread:

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/mus...oure-us-based-composer-songwriter-please.html

Cheers.


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## AdamAlake (Jan 10, 2018)

I would support this, alas I am not American.


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## wst3 (Jan 10, 2018)

I have signed.


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## Carles (Jan 10, 2018)

Anything that we non-American can do to help out?


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## joed (Jan 10, 2018)

i have signed.


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## RiffWraith (Jan 12, 2018)

Hey Carles, that's very nice of you, thank you  As I would not be able to help you and your fellow countrymen in matters of your govt, unfortunately there is nothing you can do here.

Thanks all!


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## Nils Neumann (Jan 12, 2018)

Not American, but at least I can bump this thread


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## guydoingmusic (Jan 12, 2018)

Isn't there a clause in that bill that doesn't allow anyone to file a lawsuit against a streaming service?


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## patrick76 (Jan 12, 2018)

Signed.


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## RiffWraith (Jan 13, 2018)

guydoingmusic said:


> Isn't there a clause in that bill that doesn't allow anyone to file a lawsuit against a streaming service?



I am no too clear on that, TBH. My understanding is that this stipulation is in regards to future litigation for past royalties, not about stopping litigation for future issues.

https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2018/01/09/music-modernization-act-spotify/

- says:

_...effectively shuts down any potential legal claims on unpaid mechanical royalties from companies like Spotify. That’s right: if the lawsuit wasn’t filed by January 1st, 2018 (i.e., the past), courts will throw out the suit._

I looked at the bill, and couldn't find that ^ language. In any event, once the bill becomes law, that does not give companies like Spotify the right to break the law moving fwd; if they do and you file suit, the court will not just throw out that suit. That's not the way the courts work.

Cheers.


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## guydoingmusic (Jan 13, 2018)

RiffWraith said:


> I am no too clear on that, TBH. My understanding is that this stipulation is in regards to future litigation for past royalties, not about stopping litigation for future issues.
> 
> https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2018/01/09/music-modernization-act-spotify/
> 
> ...


Right! I haven't read over it and only saw a couple of post saying there was some verbiage in the bill along those lines. Interested to hear more for sure. 

Thanks Jeffrey!


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## rJames (Jan 13, 2018)

Carles said:


> Anything that we non-American can do to help out?


Yes. Stop sending your music to America. (That’s just supposed to be a joke)


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## dannymc (Jan 16, 2018)

the reality is for all us European based composers America is still the land of opportunity for our music. the scene can be close to non-existent in many of our home countries. 

Danny


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## gsilbers (Jan 16, 2018)

i smell something fishy when spotify and youtube support a bill that will increase rates paid to musicians.


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## Daryl (Jan 16, 2018)

gsilbers said:


> i smell something fishy when spotify and youtube support a bill that will increase rates paid to musicians.


Well, it could easily be the lesser of two evils. As this bill shuts out legal action from earlier accounting periods, they might consider that agreeing to pay more in the future is worth it, if it means they don't have to pay the $billions owed from the past.


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## RiffWraith (Jan 21, 2018)

Daryl said:


> Well, it could easily be the lesser of two evils. As this bill shuts out legal action from earlier accounting periods, they might consider that agreeing to pay more in the future is worth it, if it means they don't have to pay the $billions owed from the past.



Exactly this.


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## jmauz (Jan 21, 2018)

Signed. Thanks for your help!!


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## Kyle Preston (Mar 8, 2018)

Without ignoring the progress this bill establishes or how boring it was to read, the attached bullet point (from page 38) is alarming, as pointed out by this Billboard article: https://www.billboard.com/articles/...act-royalties-diy-songwriters-henry-gradstein


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## Geoff Grace (Apr 27, 2018)

Music Modernization Act Unanimously Passes House of Representatives

From the article:



> The MMA action now heads to the Senate, which will tackle its version of the package next month. At present, there are three individual Senate bills queued for a mid-May hearing by the Senate Judiciary Committee that like the House, the Senate may combine (either into its own version or simply taking up the House version, which is the music industry’s hope. Whatever the means, the basic tenets of the bill are expected to meet little resistance in the Senate, moving in some form to a full vote and then to President’s desk.



Best,

Geoff


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