In early March, The National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) acknowledged the expiration of its license with TikTok in late April by sending a letter to its members. “At this time, we do not anticipate that there will be an option to renew or extend the current NMPA licenses or participate in a new license with TikTok through NMPA,” it said, in part, as relayed by Billboard.
On Wednesday, May 15, the NMPA shifted its attention toward Spotify. According to Variety, the NMPA issued a cease-and-desist to Spotify due to Spotify’s “use of lyrics in its recently launched video function and podcasts, and its remix feature that enables users to speed up or otherwise edit songs to create derivative works. The trade association claims that such uses are copyright violations and must be paid for.”
Variety additionally notes that the NMPA and Spotify “are also at odds over Spotify’s new premium subscription plans that combine music and audiobooks, which will mean a lower mechanical royalty rate for songwriters on those plans, although Spotify claims that earnings for creators will continue to rise due to increased volume.”
The NMPA is demanding Spotify remove unlicensed lyrics, videos, podcasts, or remix features to avoid copyright liability.
A Spotify representative issued a statement, as relayed by Variety, in which the rep calls the NMPA’s actions “a press stunt filled with false and misleading claims.”
Read the full report here.
