Early October 2018 brought a legislative victory for US musicians in the form of the Music Modernization Act. The new law makes multiple changes to US copyright law, including:
- Revising the current Section 115 mechanical license to allow blanket licenses for digital music providers as well as authorizing the Register of Copyrights to designate a mechanical licensing collective to administer the license and distribute collected royalties.
- Extending remedies for copyright infringement for pre-1972 sound recordings; and
- Allowing producers to receive sound recording royalties under the section 114 statutory license directly from Sound Exchange via a letter of direction.
For more information, see here and here.