https://wearethemusicmakers.co/latest Music tech and AI in music: the news that matters, what we think about it, and a directory of the tools. en-us Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:30:00 GMT https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/recipe-register-a-song-with-iprs https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/recipe-register-a-song-with-iprs Every step to join the Indian Performing Right Society as a lyricist or composer and notify your songs, with the fees and deadlines IPRS publishes. Joining costs a one-time ₹1,200 for an author or composer; IPRS does not publish an overall processing time. Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:30:00 GMT We are the music makers format-recipeiprsroyaltiesindiasongwriters https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/publishing-admin-vs-publishing-deal https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/publishing-admin-vs-publishing-deal An admin deal charges a percentage and leaves your copyright with you. A co-pub or full publishing deal can pay an advance, but you give up part of the copyright, often for years after the contract ends. Here is how to compare the two on cost, control and time. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers publishingroyaltiessongwriterscopyright https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/concord-v-anthropic-fair-use-hearing-lyrics https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/concord-v-anthropic-fair-use-hearing-lyrics Music publishers and Anthropic argued cross-motions for summary judgment over Claude and song lyrics on 21 Oct 2026, with no ruling yet. The publishers are testing "market dilution", the theory that AI-written lyrics compete with human songwriters, which one 2025 ruling dismissed and another said could win. Thu, 22 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers aicopyrightlawsuitssongwritersartist-rights https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/vetter-resnik-worldwide-termination-supreme-court-quorum https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/vetter-resnik-worldwide-termination-supreme-court-quorum With four justices sitting out, the Supreme Court had no quorum and automatically affirmed the Fifth Circuit's ruling that a US copyright termination recaptures a songwriter's worldwide rights. It is a real win for writers in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, but it sets no national precedent and foreign courts still apply their own law. Sat, 17 Oct 2026 16:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightscopyrighttermination-rightssongwriterspublishing https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/phonorecords-v-streaming-rate-proposals-2028-2032 https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/phonorecords-v-streaming-rate-proposals-2028-2032 Publishers want a 20% headline streaming mechanical rate for 2028 to 2032. Spotify, Apple, Google and Pandora want to keep 15.35%, and Amazon wants it cut to 13.4%. Meanwhile, a deal on CD, vinyl and download rates, struck mostly by labels and their sister publishers, is being challenged by the independent songwriters it left out. Thu, 15 Oct 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industrysongwritersroyaltiescrbstreamingmechanicals https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/publishing-deals-admin-co-pub-full-publishing https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/publishing-deals-admin-co-pub-full-publishing A publishing deal decides who owns part of your song, who registers it, and for how long. Admin deals leave ownership with you for a fee. Co-pub and full publishing deals trade a share of the copyright for an advance and a team. Here is how the money splits, how long the rights stay away, and why the catalogue sales of 2026 make ownership the part to guard. Fri, 25 Sep 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industrypublishingsongwritersroyaltiesexplainer https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/spotify-bundle-mlc-ruling https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/spotify-bundle-mlc-ruling A New York federal judge has refused to let the Mechanical Licensing Collective appeal early against the ruling that Spotify Premium is a "bundle" with audiobooks, which lets Spotify pay US songwriters a lower mechanical rate. The judge also threw out Spotify's "unclean hands" defence. Songwriters now wait for the whole case to finish, even though subscription prices rose again in February. Mon, 07 Sep 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industryspotifysongwritersroyaltiesmlc https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/royalty-map-pros-mlc-soundexchange-distributor https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/royalty-map-pros-mlc-soundexchange-distributor One stream on Spotify or one play on digital radio can owe money to four different bodies, and none of them pays you unless you have registered with it. Here is which organisation collects which royalty, plus a registration checklist for artists in India, the UK and the US. Thu, 20 Aug 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industryroyaltiesartist-rightssongwriterscollecting-societies https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/mlc-unclaimed-mechanicals-market-share-2027 https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/mlc-unclaimed-mechanicals-market-share-2027 The Mechanical Licensing Collective plans to start paying out unmatched and unclaimed US streaming mechanicals by market share in 2027, beginning with January 2021 usage. Money that nobody has claimed by then goes to whoever already earns the most. Here is how to register, match and claim before it does. Mon, 03 Aug 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightsmlcsongwritersroyaltiesmechanicals https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/07/sony-buys-hipgnosis-recognition-catalogue-songwriters https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/07/sony-buys-hipgnosis-recognition-catalogue-songwriters Sony Music Publishing has closed its purchase of Recognition Music Group's 45,000-song catalogue, the former Hipgnosis portfolio, at a price reported at $3.5 billion to $4 billion. For the writers whose shares are inside it, the songs are now with their third owner, and each sale has taken them further from the people who wrote them. Wed, 15 Jul 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industrypublishingcataloguessongwriterssony