WASHINGTON – The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) today issued a first-ever tally of high-resolution (“hi-res”) music titles available in the U.S., illustrating the high priority record labels place on assuring fans have access to the highest-quality music listening experiences.

According to new data compiled by the RIAA from its member labels, more than 33,500 albums representing nearly 400,000 tracks are currently available in Studio Quality formats to stream or download in the U.S. These figures represent a 29% increase over a year ago, as major labels are now releasing some 1,000 albums per month in Studio Quality formats.

Studio Quality is defined as a category encompassing both Hi Res Audio (48khz/20-bit or higher) and the studio production format of 44.1kHz/24-bit audio.

RIAA Chief Technology Officer David Hughes said, “Fans now have access to their favorite music in more ways than ever before, in more formats than ever before, and with better quality than ever before. To meet fans’ growing demand for the highest-quality sound, labels have made the development of the hi-res music market a top priority. It’s another example of how labels continue to drive music forward and provide fans new ways to listen and engage with music.”

Studio Quality formats are already widely available for some of the U.S.’s most popular music of all time:

• 77% of RIAA’s 100 Highest Gold & Platinum Certified Albums
• 79% of one major streaming service’s Top 100 All-Time Streamed Tracks
• 78% of the SoundScan’s Top 100 Albums of 2018
• 68% of one major streaming service’s Top Weekly Tracks

The report was issued as a new hi-res audio showcase opens at the 2019 MusicBiz Nashville conference. The Future Is Now Music Experience will run from May 5-7 in the Viola Room on the second floor of Nashville’s  JW Marriott hotel. The exhibit will feature demonstrations from several leading companies that offer hi-res streaming services and devices.

The RIAA and its member companies have long supported the hi-res music market. In 2015, they  launched a program to help music fans more easily identify the highest-quality digital music available on digital download services. After widespread adoption of the program and its distinct logo by digital download services, the initiative was expanded to include titles available on streaming services in 2016.

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“We are extremely grateful to Ambassador Lighthizer and his team for shining a spotlight on stream-ripping, one of the biggest threats to the American creative community, and acknowledges the role reverse proxy services play in making it more difficult for rights holders to address the source of piracy.  The American music industry is crucial to our nation’s economy and culture. This is an important moment to recognize what these threats are and who is enabling them, and to chart a strategy to go after them.  

“We are especially gratified that a specific focus of the reports is the substantial harm caused by stream-ripping piracy, labeling it as a ‘dominant method of music piracy causing substantial economic harm to music creators undermining legitimate online services.’  Stream-ripping services rip off creators by circumventing YouTube’s and other services’ systems.  A study from research firm MusicWatch concluded that while other forms of online theft have decreased, stream-ripping piracy remains one of the fastest growing forms of piracy today, with a 50% increase in the number of stream-rippers in the U.S. over a two-year period.

“The Notorious Markets report highlights the role of ‘reverse proxy services’ that allow operators of illegal websites to hide where their sites are hosted to evade enforcement efforts by rights holders.  The inclusion of these services also sends a strong signal to platforms such as CloudFlare to be more responsible players and work with creators to ensure that their services are not being used to for illegal purposes.

“USTR and the interagency team worked tirelessly to produce another high-quality Special 301 report and Notorious Market report, releasing them together for the first time.  These reports commit to promoting copyright protection and enforcement around the world, including the rejection of loopholes that diminish protections such as flawed safe harbors and over-broad exceptions. 

“We look forward to continuing to work with Ambassador Lighthizer and his team to help secure an environment where American creativity can thrive and prosper.”

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See RIAA Chairman & CEO Mitch Glazier’s Medium commentary on the report here.

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RIAA’s comments can be viewed here: RIAA Filing With USTR On US-Japan Trade Agreement

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Below is a comment from RIAA President Mitch Glazier on the final passage of the bill:

“With this final House vote, another chapter in the journey of this critical legislation comes to a close.  As the Music Modernization Act goes to the President’s desk for signature, we have many Members to thank for their work to make this final House vote possible to improve the lives of countless artists, songwriters and producers. On behalf of a grateful music community, we extend our appreciation to Chairman Bob Goodlatte, Ranking Member Jerry Nadler, and Representatives Doug Collins, Darrell Issa, Marsha Blackburn, Joe Crowley, Ted Deutch, Hakeem Jeffries, and Tom Rooney for their leadership and commitment to getting this bill across the finish line. As the Turtles would say, we’re grateful Congress is ‘so happy together.’”

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RIAA’s filing can be viewed here: RIAA Filing With US International Trade Commission On Digital Trade

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“With this unanimous vote, we are one step closer to a once-in-a-generation reform of our music licensing laws. It’s a long time coming and we have much work to do, but the breadth and depth of unprecedented legislative support demonstrated over the last two weeks is illustrative. It is the result of a broken system that poorly serves creators and years of painstaking consensus-building by many key members of Congress. This bill has advanced as far as it has because its component parts reflect reforms of the entire music ecosystem. That is an essential ingredient.

“Our focus and attention now turns to the Senate. We are fortunate that the major planks of the House-passed ‘Music Modernization Act’ enjoy bipartisan support in the Senate, and we look forward to working with Senators and their staff as they consider and advance these key reforms.”

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WASHINGTON – The United States House Judiciary Committee voted unanimously today (32-0) to approve the new Music Modernization Act (H.R. 5447), legislation that would reform music licensing laws for the 21^st century – including the long-overdue CLASSICS Act. Below is a comment from Chairman & CEO Cary Sherman on the advancement of this critical consensus bill.

“As this historic legislation begins to advance through Congress, we move one step closer to the finish line.  A unanimous vote should send unmistakable signal to lawmakers in both chambers:  this package of reforms enjoys deep, bipartisan support.  And for good reason –  this bill is result of thoughtful, extensive examination of the patchwork of antiquated music licensing laws that poorly serve creators.  This includes the unintended and unfair quirk in the law that denies legacy artists the federal right to be compensated by digital radio services.  We are grateful for the stewardship of Chairman Goodlatte and Ranking Member Nadler, as well as Representatives Issa, Johnson, Collins, Jeffries, Smith, and Deutch, who all have been tireless advocates for this important legislation. We now look to the House floor, and urge all Members of Congress to advance this bill to help make these critical reforms a reality.”

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Contact:

Jonathan Lamy

Cara Duckworth Weiblinger

Liz Kennedy

(202) 775-0101

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WASHINGTON, DC – After several years of discussions and hearings, this week the House Judiciary Committee is slated to vote on a package of music licensing reforms introduced today by Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Ranking Member Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), and Representatives Issa (R-Calif.), Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), Doug Collins (R-Ga.), Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Lamar Smith (R-Texas), and Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) called the new “Music Modernization Act” (H.R. 5447).  The new bill includes the original Music Modernization Act, the CLASSICS Act, the AMP Act, and a market-based rate standard for statutory licenses.

“The introduction of this new package bill, by the senior leadership of the House Judiciary Committee, is an unmistakable sign of more progress on several well-studied music licensing reforms, including the long-overdue CLASSICS Act,” said Cary Sherman, Chairman & CEO, RIAA.  “It is a consensus bill widely supported by thousands of artists and songwriters, dozens of music organizations and leading technology companies.  It is ready for a committee vote.

“There should be no debate that the greatest generation of music deserves to be paid when their recordings are played on digital radio. The time is now. These reforms have the potential to shape our industry’s future as they serve those in the music community who need them the most.  We are grateful for the leadership of Chairman Goodlatte, along with Ranking Member Nadler, and Representatives Issa, Johnson, Collins, Jeffries, Smith and Deutch as they work to make these critical reforms a reality.”

THE KEY PIECES OF THE NEW MUSIC MODERNIZATION ACT:

The Music Modernization Act  (H.R. 4706, S. 2334) is the most significant update to music copyright law for songwriters in a generation. The bill improves both how, and how much, songwriters are paid. The bill reforms Section 115 of the U.S. Copyright Act to create a single licensing entity that administers the mechanical reproduction rights for digital uses of musical compositions – like those used in interactive streaming models offered by Apple, Spotify, Amazon, Pandora, Google and others. It also repeals Section 114(i) and, consistent with most federal litigation, utilizes random assignment of judges to decide ASCAP and BMI rate-setting cases – two provisions that will enable fairer outcomes for songwriters and composers.

The CLASSICS Act (H.R. 3301, S. 2393) is overdue legislation that addresses one of copyright law’s most glaring loopholes: the lack of payment for the streaming of recordings made before 1972. Legacy artists who recorded music before 1972 are not entitled to be paid royalties under federal copyright law when their music is played on digital radio (think Pandora and SiriusXM). Many legacy artists are no longer able to tour in order to earn a living, so this unfortunate gap in the law has an enormous effect on their livelihoods. The CLASSICS Act would treat legacy artists the same way their contemporaries are treated. Notable: Pandora supports this bill, along with the Digital Media Association (DiMA), and the NAACP recently endorsed the legislation, among others. On Valentine’s Day, Rock n Roll Hall of Famer Darlene Love and Mary Wilson of The Supremes made a compelling case before Members of Congress and staff at a CLASSICS Act event on Capitol Hill (see footage here).

The AMP Act (H.R. 881, S. 2625) improves and simplifies the payment of royalties owed to music producers, mixers and engineers by allowing royalty collection/distribution organization SoundExchange  to directly pay these music creators. This formalized, streamlined process provides a consistent and permanent arrangement for studio professionals to receive their much- deserved payments for their contributions to the creation of music.

Market-Based Rate Standard For Statutory Licenses. The new bill would require a market-based rate standard for sound recordings for statutory licenses. This provision would allow the Copyright Royalty Board which sets rates for statutory services to consider the rates and terms that would have been negotiated in the marketplace between a willing buyer and a willing seller.

WHO SUPPORTS THE PACKAGE:

Virtually everyone in the music community, as well as the major technology platforms who distribute music.  In January, more than twenty of the largest music organizations in the country voiced their unified support. Thousands of performers, from featured artists to sidemen, backup singers and musicians, have joined the chorus appealing to Congress in support of these needed reforms. More than 28,000 songwriters have endorsed the MMA and more than 300 prominent legacy artists have urged Congress to support the CLASSICS Act, and those numbers are growing each day. The Digital Media Association and the Internet Association, which represent some of our nation’s largest technology companies, also support this package — giving it unprecedented cross-industry backing.

THE ROAD AHEAD

After the House Judiciary Committee’s expected approval tomorrow, the bill heads to the House floor in the weeks ahead for a vote before the full chamber.  The Senate is likely to conduct a hearing on the legislative package in May and a markup in the Judiciary Committee soon thereafter.

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WASHINGTON, DC — An unprecedented coalition of music artists, supported by eight leading music organizations, continues to grow, with 89 additional musicians joining the call on Congress to pass the CLASSICS Act. This bipartisan legislation has been introduced in both chambers of Congress and will address one of copyright law’s most glaring loopholes. The number of artists supporting CLASSICS now totals 302.

Digital radio makes billions of dollars a year from airplay of music made before February 15, 1972. However, because of a glaring inequity in copyright standards, artists who recorded their work before February 15, 1972 are not required by federal law to be paid when their work is played on SiriusXM and digital streaming services. The CLASSICS Act would correct this injustice and ensure that music creators who made those timeless recordings finally get their due.

The CLASSICS Act was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Reps. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and will be a part of the music copyright package scheduled for markup by the House Judiciary Committee the week of April 9^th. Companion legislation in the U.S. Senate, (S. 2393), is sponsored by Sens. John Kennedy (R-LA) and Chris Coons (D-DE) and in recent weeks Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) have signed in support of the legislation.

The growing coalition of artists urging passage of the CLASSICS Act is supported by music community leaders including A2IM, American Federation of Musicians, Content Creators Coalition, the Recording Academy, Recording Industry Association of America, SAG-AFTRA and SoundExchange.

The artists recently joining the coalition to pass the CLASSICS Act includes:

Click here to see the full list of artists that have signed on in support of the CLASSICS Act.

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A2IM contact:
Dawn Kamerling / (646) 322-4903 / dawn@thepresshouse.com

American Federation of Musicians contact:
Rose Ryan / 917-229-0239 / rryan@afm.org

Content Creators Coalition contact:
Eric Jotkoff / 202-748-5342 / Eric@lawmedia.net

musicFIRST Coalition contact:
Isabel Rollison / 202-400-2611 / rollison@jdafrontline.com

RIAA contact:
Cara Duckworth Weiblinger / 202-775-0101/ cduckworth@riaa.com
Jonathan Lamy / 202-775-0101 / jlamy@riaa.com

SAG-AFTRA contact:
Pamela Greenwalt​ / 323-440-2892/ Pamela.Greenwalt@sagaftra.org

SoundExchange contact:
Sophia Majlessi / 202-696-1832 / smajlessi@soundexchange.com

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