Will Songwriters Get Paid Under the MMA?

SGA, AMLC, TuneCore and others hold Town Hall April 10

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Apr 08, 2019, 17:01 ET

NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Songwriters Guild of America and AMLC are inviting songwriters, publishers and others to attend a free Town Hall meeting in Nashville this Wednesday, April 10. The informal and informational event will be held at Rocket Town, 601 4^th Ave., South Building from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., Central. Town Hall topics will include the Music Modernization Act, the two entities applying for designation as the Mechanical Licensing Collective, and the future impact to songwriters.

SGA President Rick Carnes, right, in protest on steps of Supreme Court

"As we work together to increase the royalty rates earned by songwriters, we must also ensure that money earned from streaming music is paid to the person or entity who earned it," said SGA President Rick Carnes.

The AMLC and the Songwriters Guild are holding their event the same day as the Town Hall being held by the National Music Publishers Association. "We encourage everyone to attend both events to learn more about the MMA, the MLC, and the different approaches each organization is putting forth," said John Barker, founder and CEO of ClearBox Music Publishing. "The NMPA and NSAI have been invited to sit on the panel with the AMLC and SGA representatives," he added.

Participating panelists include:

John Barker: Founder/CEO, ClearBox Music Publishing
ClearBox Rights is an independent IP rights management company based in Nashville, TN. The organization handles the management of intellectual property for owners and creators.

Rick Carnes: President, Songwriters Guild of America; songwriter and composer
Multi-platinum hit songwriter with 40 platinum albums and recordings by artists Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Alabama, Dean Martin and more.

Hakim Draper: Boogie Shack Music Group
Business development and strategy executive with experience in both tech and the entertainment industry. Also consults on music tech investment.

Zoe Keating: Songwriter, artist and composer (via Video Conference)
Self-published cellist and composer whose albums have charted on Billboard - including a number one hit on iTunes Classical charts. Featured on NPR's Morning Edition. Licenses for TV series including Elementary, Teen Wolf and So You Think You Can Dance.

Ricardo Ordonez: President, Union Music Group
International copyright law expert, media marketing and new technologies expert. Specialties including metadata support and digital distribution. An expert in Hispanic and Latino music publishing.