Archive:

North America

Physical sales and downloads: Why they still matter to music creators

11 Jun 2021

Music Creators North America (MCNA) shared the following article today which posed the question: how important are the sales of CDs, vinyl records and downloads to artists, songwriters, composers and record labels? This question has become a hot topic recently…

FTMI signs “Declaration to End Anti-Black Racism in the Canadian Music Industry”

02 Jun 2021

Toronto, Canada – 2 Jun 2021: Fair Trade Music International (FTMI) has become the latest organization to sign the “Declaration to End Anti-Black Racism in the Canadian Music Industry” on the one-year anniversary of #BlackOutTuesday. This virtual signing event was…

Eddie Schwartz honoured with SOCAN Cultural Impact Award

28 May 2021

We are delighted to announce that long-standing board member and ex-chair of Fair Trade Music International, Eddie Schwartz, has been awarded the 2021 SOCAN Cultural Impact Award for his international influence as a songwriter. His impact as a songwriter on…

Coalition of songwriter groups calls for fairness on US mechanical rates

23 May 2021

On May 17, 2021, a coalition of international songwriter groups sent the following letter to the US Copyright Royalty Board. Addressed to chief copyright royalty judge, Jesse M. Feder; and copyright royalty judges, David R. Strickler and Steve Ruwe in…

Honoring indigenous American music creators and artists

05 May 2021

Update from advisory committee member, Charles Sanders: “It was my honor this afternoon to moderate an A2IM Panel that included three of the best young singer songwriters working and writing today: Quinn Christopherson, Raye Zaragoza and Katherine “KP” Paul (Black…

Mechanical Licensing Collective receives $424m in unmatched digital royalties

16 Feb 2021

The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) today announced receipt of US $424m in accrued historical unmatched royalties from digital service providers. Also received were more than 1,800 data files, which contain in excess of 1.3 terabytes and nine billion lines of…

International Council of Music Creators issues new year update on unidentified royalties

16 Jan 2021

The International Council of Music Creators (CIAM) has issued a new year update on the growing pool of streaming royalties that are currently unidentified and cannot therefore be distributed. While specific details are still emerging, the total figure is estimated…

Music creator organizations meet with US Copyright Office

18 Nov 2020

On 13 November, Fair Trade Music board members, Rick Carnes and Eddie Schwartz met with the United States Copyright Office in their roles as SGA President and MCNA President respectively. They were joined by SCL president, Ashley Irwin and by…

“Justice at Spotify” campaign launched by Union of Musicians and Allied Workers

27 Oct 2020

A new artist-focused campaign has been launched in the US by the Union of Musicians and Allied Workers that aims to redress what it sees as an imbalance in the royalties paid out by streaming companies. The campaign is called…

Your Music, Your Future

21 Dec 2019

A new campaign targeting the fair remuneration of composers has recently launched. Operating under the banner “Your Music, Your Future”, the campaign is dedicated to educating composers and creators about their options when it comes to compensation. A new website…