Archive:

Songwriters

Fair Trade Music releases a songwriters’ guide to the MLC unmatched royalties issue

28 Oct 2022

Fair Trade Music International has released an educational video to help music creators understand and address the MLC unmatched royalty issue. In this two-minute animation, we explain how these unclaimed royalties came about and describe what each creator can do…

Independent songwriter groups meet with BMG music publishing

06 Jun 2022

Representatives of the independent American and global music creator communities led by the Songwriters Guild of America, the Society of Composers & Lyricists, and Music Creators North America met with BMG President Thomas Scherer and his team in Los Angeles…

Victory for music creators over frozen mechanical royalties

30 Mar 2022

Our colleagues in the U.S. reported yesterday that the country’s Copyright Royalty Board has rejected the proposal to freeze mechanical and download royalty rates made by corporate giants in the record and music publishing industry. These groups had argued that…

International songwriter groups join together to oppose the freezing of US mechanical royalty rates

28 Jul 2021

Music Creators North America, the Songwriters Guild of America and the Society of Composers & Lyricists have been joined by nine domestic and international groups representing the interests of half a million songwriters and composers in filing comments before the…

FTMI partner, CIAM welcomes the Ivors Academy to its global family of creator alliances

30 Jun 2021

Fair Trade Music International partner organization, the International Council of Music Creators, has welcomed the Ivors Academy of Music Creators as CIAM Observers. Aligned with the goals of CIAM, the new connection with the Ivors Academy allows music creators in…

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…

UK based #FixStreaming campaign gathers momentum

18 Feb 2021

In the UK, the Musicians Union and Ivors Academy are continuing work on their joint campaign to address what it sees as fundamental inequalities in the music streaming economy. Following the launch of a petition that attracted more than 17,000…

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…