June 2017
Dear Songwriter, Composer and Publisher,
It’s hard to believe that summer is right around the corner! I hope you’ve had a creative and fulfilling year so far. If you’ve visited BMI.com lately you are probably aware that we have been very busy this quarter, resulting in some important new developments.
First off, you’ll be pleased to hear that we have negotiated long term agreements with Netflix and Hulu. These follow last year’s deal that we secured with Amazon Prime Video. With these agreements in place and with the ongoing use of your extraordinary music, your royalties from this fast-growing category of streaming video services will continue to thrive. In addition, we continue to seek the rates you deserve from the Radio Music Licensing Committee (RMLC) and stand firm in those negotiations as well.
As for our ongoing litigation with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on the issue of 100% licensing, we were not surprised last month when the DOJ filed a brief to move forward with its appeal of Judge Stanton’s September 16, 2016, decision, which stated that BMI is free to continue our longstanding practice of fractional licensing. BMI fully expected this appeal and will file our response to the DOJ’s brief this summer. We anticipate this process will continue into 2018, and, as always, will keep you updated along the way.
In addition to our regularly scheduled royalty payments for the fourth quarter of 2016, this distribution includes final retro payments for performances on Microsoft VOD for the first quarter of 2016 through the fourth quarter of 2016, and retro payments for SoundCloud for performances from third quarter of 2014 through fourth quarter of 2015. As a reminder, to receive your royalties faster we encourage you to sign up for direct deposit , if you have not already done so.
With so many affiliates to congratulate this quarter, which is a testament to the incredible popularity of your creative work, we are delighted to share our online stories showcasing BMI honorees at multiple prestigious ceremonies: Songwriters Hall of Fame; Ivor Novello Awards; Tony Awards; NEA Jazz Masters; the ACMs; and Premio Lo Nuestro Awards, among others. We were also proud to recognize our outstanding composers at BMI’s Film/TV & Visual Media Awards, including our BMI Icon Alan Silvestri, as well as our stellar songwriters and publishers at BMI’s Pop Awards, including BMI Icon Barry Manilow. Kudos also go out to the talented young winners of BMI’s Student Composer Awards.
Sincerely,
Mike O'Neill
President and Chief Executive Officer
Enclosure:
