Senate Passes the Music Modernization Act of 2018

Today marks an important day for singers, songwriters, and musicians in general, as the Senate approved the Music Modernization Act of 2018 (the “MMA”). This is important because it is the first reform to take place in music licensing in over two decades and may soon become law. So what are some of the benefits for musicians and artists?

Well, among other things, the MMA revises certain portions of the Copyright Act to (a) streamline the music licensing process (which is great), (b) compensates artists for pre-1972 recordings, and (c) would improve royalty payouts for music engineers and producers when their recordings are played in certain media (i.e., producers have never previously been specifically addressed in the copyright law).

Overall, the MMA, if passed, will pay musicians and artists better and “fairer” rates and properly compensate artists for their contributions to music and the arts.