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January 7, 2019  

House of Blues Music Forward Foundation’s Bringing Down the House Seeks Young Emerging Artists

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House of Blues Music Forward Foundation‘s Bringing Down the House is a chance for talented musicians, ages 14-20, to connect with music industry insiders through interactive workshop sessions and showcase your talent on legendary stages.
 
Six to eight Bands or Solo Artists in four cities will be selected to participate.
 
This opportunity is being offered free-of-charge to musicians in: Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New Orleans
 
January 7, 2019  

Hello 2019! A Few Updates & Announcements from Dae Bogan

I hope you had a wonderful holiday break. I enjoyed time with family and friends for two weeks, but now I am back full swing!

I wanted to share a few exciting updates and make several announcements regarding my various projects and involvements:

1. TuneRegistry announces new clients Nettwerk Music Group and Jammber. Last year was a pivotal moment for TuneRegistry as we went through the legal battle to re-acquiring our business. We succeeded. In Q4, we launched our enterprise edition and have been working hard to on board new clients such as Repost Network, Vydia, and Create Music Group. Today we announced the addition of Nettwerk Music Group and Jammber (among many others). We are expanding the platform to offer new services in Q1 2019. Here’s the official press release.

nettwerk and jammber

 

2. The website for my consulting firm is now live. Through Rights Department, I provide consulting, coaching, and advisory services to founders of music, tech, and digital media companies. I also provide career coaching and advice to music entrepreneurs (DIY musicians, artist managers, indie label owners, music publishers, etc.). Visit www.RightsDepartment.com for details.

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3. I return this week to UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. I am so excited to return to UCLA to teach “Music Industry Entrepreneurship and Innovation.” The course has grown in popularity within the department, so I believe it will be offered in the Spring as well. This class is very special to me because I get to help bright young future entrepreneurs and business leaders realize their potential as entrepreneurs.

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4. My speaking engagements are starting to solidify. I will be speaking at the Digital Entertainment World on Feb. 4th, Balanced Breakfast Music Summit on Feb. 9th, and SXSW on Mar. 14th. More on speaking engagements can be found here.

6. Webinar for A2IM Members. I will be conducting a webinar on neighboring rights royalties for A2IM members on February 6th at 1pm EST. More details to come on this.

5. SoCal Music Industry Professionals Music Industry Happy Hour 13th Edition. I will be hosting the next meetup in February on the 20th or 27th. Stay tuned at www.meetup.com/scmiponline or www.facebook.com/groups/scmiponline.

 

Thank you for following my blog. I am looking forward to a busy 2019. I’ll be sure to keep this community updated from time-to-time.

December 14, 2018  

Dae Bogan To Provide Mentorship To Music Makers And Tech Founders At The Rattle Los Angeles

RattleCCPitch2018 from The Rattle on Vimeo.

 

I’m excited to announce that I will be providing mentorship to music makers and tech founders at The Rattle when it launches in Spring 2019 in Chinatown, Los Angeles

WHAT IS THE RATTLE?

The Rattle is a members-only studio space and music incubator shared by a collective of independent artists, producers, tech makers, film makers, startups and people hacking careers in music.

 
WHAT DO MEMBERS RECEIVE?

As well as shared music studios, venue, writing rooms, film locations and a coworking space, Rattle members can enjoy top tier mentorship, production support and advice, tech incubation, workshops, events and concerts.

 
PRELAUNCH SIGNUP

The Rattle LA prelaunch signup page & form is LIVE, there is no financial commitment at this time – but as we have just opened the virtual doors to our LA community – I encourage anyone/everyone interested in joining the Rattle to sign up right away.

 
The first 50 superhumans to put their names down, lock in their spot at the founding member rate of $350 per month vs $500. (Includes full membership and 45htrs of monthly studio time)
 
 
December 8, 2018  

Apple To Recruit College Students For Apple Music From UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music

I am pleased to announce that Apple has selected my Billboard-recognized class, Music Industry Entrepreneurship and Innovation, at UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music as a preferred source to recruit aspiring music industry professionals into its college internship programs at Apple Music.

Upon successful completion of an internship and graduation from UCLA, recent grads may become eligible for full-time employment at Apple music divisions.

An Apple Worldwide Recruiting representative will visit my class in January 2019 to promote their internship program to my students and answer any questions that students might have.

I am pleased with Apple’s decision to partner with universities and educators that deliver best-in-class education and experiences to students who may become tomorrow’s music industry leaders.

In reviewing my class students have shown great appreciation for the course and the speaker series that I curate throughout the quarter:

Hi Dae, Just wanted to thank you for an awesome class. This was one of the few classes at UCLA where I felt I was taught skills, not just about the subject matter but in how to go about achieving my career goals, that were applicable to my endeavors and will be used for the rest of my life. I got more out of it than I had with any other course here and I would highly recommend your class to to anyone interested in a music industry career.

– Student testimonial, Winter Quarter 2018

Without a doubt one of the most useful classes I have taken in my undergraduate career at UCLA. Professor Bogan has so much real world knowledge and knows how to convey that knowledge in a classroom setting immensely well. All the course material was invaluable to my progression and aspirations of being in the music industry. Every lecture was extremely well-prepared, with amazing guest speakers and information that I will be using for the rest of my life. Professor Bogan did a phenomenal job and I will be recommending this class to all my friends interested in music or starting their own company. Can’t say enough good things about this class.

– Student testimonal, Winter Quarter 2018

In addition to the relationship with Apple, I am excited to announce that I’ve established a relationship with music tech start-up accelerator Techstars Music that allows me to recommend student and alumni owned start-ups for consideration to receive seed investment and to participate in its accelerator program.

I look forward to continuing to add value to my course to offer students one of the best experiences in their academic careers at UCLA.

November 30, 2018  

Music Licensing Collective: Call for Nominations

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NOMINATION PERIOD NOW OPEN FOR SONGWRITER-MEMBER SEATS OF MUSIC LICENSING COLLECTIVE BOARD/COMMITTEES
 
Nashville, Tenn. (November 5, 2018) — Nominations are now open for songwriter members of the Board of Directors, Unclaimed Funds Committee and Dispute Resolution Committee of the Music Licensing Collective (MLC) to be submitted to the US Copyright Office for approval as established by the recently passed Music Modernization Act. Prospective nominees can be submitted at http://www.mlcsongwriters.com through 11:59pm CST, December 5, 2018.
 
Per the statutory requirements of the Music Modernization Act, a new digital music mechanical licensing entity is being formed called the Music Licensing Collective (MLC). By statute, there will be songwriter representatives on the Board of Directors of the Music Licensing Collective (MLC) as well as the Unclaimed Funds Committee and Dispute Resolution Committee. Four (4) self-published songwriters will be selected for the Board of Directors; these positions require that an individual be a professional songwriter who currently controls his/her own publishing. Additionally, five (5) professional songwriters will be selected for the Unclaimed Funds Committee and three (3) professional songwriters will be selected for the Dispute Resolution Committee. (The only requirement for these positions is that a songwriter be eligible to collect royalties in the US.)
 
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI), Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), Songwriter’s Guild of America (SGA) and Songwriters of North America (SONA) have each named two songwriters to a ten-person selection committee to review nominations, evaluate candidates through a multi-step process and ultimately select songwriters for service to the original Board and Committees of the Music Licensing Collective (MLC) that will then be submitted to the US Copyright Office. The selection committee members are Steve Bogard (NSAI), Rick Carnes (SGA), Lynn Gillespie Chater (SGA), Dallas Davidson (BMI), Chris DeStefano (NSAI), Bob DiPiero (BMI), Dan Foliart (ASCAP), Adam Gorgoni (SONA), Michelle Lewis (SONA) and Paul Williams (ASCAP).
 
 
DIRECT INQUIRIES TO:
Jennifer Turnbow
615-256-3364
jennifer@nashvillesongwriters.com
October 16, 2018  

A Curated List Of My Thoughts On The Music Modernization Act (And Related Topics)

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I am a very vocal music creators’ rights advocate and copyright purist. Often, I have the opportunity to share my *opinions* on topics within and circling the music industry that impact the ways in which music creators — especially DIY musicians — navigate and thrive in the United States.

Over the last ten months I have been especially vocal about the Music Modernization Act. I’ve been quoted in Billboard, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork and Digital Media News. I’ve been invited to panel discussions at music industry conferences and keynotes at universities. And I have written several think pieces (and rants) on the bill, which is now law, and related issues.

Still, I am asked what my thoughts are on the MMA.

I’ll summarize my thoughts by saying that I believe the intent of the MMA is good and admirable on its surface — that is, to improve the way rightsholders are accounted to and paid for the use of their music. I believe there is some good stuff in the MMA; particularly, the entirety of Title 2 (The CLASSICS Act) and Title 3 (The AMP Act). However, I feel that there is still work to be done. I also feel that some compromises, at the expense of DIY music creators, were made too easily (this is partially based on private discussions that I’ve had with individuals with privileged knowledge of the negotiations and dealings that took place during the drafting and subsequent amending of the MMA). That being said, I also believe that the soon to be formed Mechanical Licensing Collective has the opportunity to prove to songwriters that this law was truly about them.

Only time will tell.

Here’s a 2018 curated list of my “thoughts” on the Music Modernization Act (and related topics):

  • (Oct 16, 2018) Here Are 10 Ways That The Music Licensing Collective (MLC) Can Set The Bar As A Collective Licensing Organization In The 21st Century – https://bit.ly/2RW9kW2
  • (Sep 14th, 2018 in Pitchfork) Why So Many Hip-Hop Producers Are Putting Business Before Beats – https://bit.ly/2PEsi1x
  • (Aug 19th, 2018) Another Music Modernization Act Opinion Piece – https://bit.ly/2NLp9LC
  • (Aug 15th, 2018 in Rolling Stone) Why More Pop Songwriters Are Stepping Into the Spotlight – https://bit.ly/2ClAuAc
  • (Jul 24th, 2018) Songwriters Are Owed Nearly $2B In Unclaimed Royalties!!! — Maybe More — I’ve Been Saying This For Some Time Now (Against Pushback), But Finally The Press Has Confirmed It – https://bit.ly/2CMR6Sp
  • (May 15th, 2018 in Billboard) Black Box Royalties Myths, Common Misconceptions Debunked at Music Biz 2018 – https://bit.ly/2q4dhLD
  • (May 7th, 2018 in Digital Music News) Is the Music Modernization Act Enabling ‘Legal Theft’ Against Smaller Artists? – https://bit.ly/2IugrCS
  • (Apr 25th, 2018) 5 Ways The Music Modernization Act Could Be Fairer To ALL Music Creators – https://bit.ly/2Jzn1tb
  • (Apr 20th, 2018) I Was Interviewed By The Congressional Budget Office Regarding The Music Modernization Act, And Now I’m Even More Concerned For DIY Musicians – https://bit.ly/2AdwpN0
  • (Jan 17th, 2018) – My Thoughts On The MMA In Light Of The CRB Mechanical License Rate Decision – https://bit.ly/2P6bT98

Where do you stand on the MMA?

October 16, 2018  

Here Are 10 Ways That The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC) Can Set The Bar As A Collective Management Organization In The 21st Century

music licensing collective dae bogan

If you work in the music industry and own a radio, TV, smartphone, or computer then you’ve probably already heard that the The Orrin G. Hatch–Bob Goodlatte Music Modernization Act (MMA) has been signed into law. At this point, every major music rights organization has published their praise of the legislation, which will create a blanket streaming mechanical license for Spotify, Apple, Amazon, Google, Tidal, and other on-demand music streaming companies; bring pre-1972 sound recordings under federal copyright protection and open up a flow of royalties from digital services to the artists (or their estates) and copyright owners of those recordings; and codify an allocation of digital radio royalties to music producers.

Title 1 of the MMA, also called Music Modernization Act, sets out  provisions and guidance for the formation of a collective mechanical licensing body to be called the Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC). The MLC will administer a safe harbor blanket license for the streaming of musical works, collect licensee fees from licensees, prepare and remit statements of earnings to songwriters and music publishers, and make royalty payments to the same.

The MLC will join the ranks of SoundExchange, ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC in the sense that it will become a powerful representative of the collective rights of thousands of music creators and rights-holders in the United States. However, unlike its counterparts, The MLC will be born in the 21st century. And as a 21st century collective licensing organization, The MLC has the unique opportunity to implement, at inception, 21st century business practices utilizing 21st century best practices and technologies.

Here are 10 ways that the Mechanical Licensing Collective can set the bar as a 21st century collective licensing organization:
 
1.) Provide its members with a data BI (business intelligence) dashboard to better visualize their mechanical royalties data and dive deeper into their statements. The dashboard could enable forecasting based on projected streaming activity (maybe offer scenario planning, which makes it possible to attract loans against future royalties). They could ingest data from a service like BuzzAngle to offer estimated royalty accrual in real-time so that members who are artists can see the net effect of playlist streaming campaigns on their bottom line and choose to invest more into campaigns in virtual real-time.
 
2.) Maintain a public and accessible unclaimed royalties database. Deploy artificial intelligence to evaluate unmatched usage reports as opposed to relying solely on exact name and ISWC matches. And expand the statute of limitations on unclaimed royalties to 10 years
 
3.) Require DSPs who take advantage of the safe harbor streaming mechanical license to recommend (and provide guidance) to aggregators and labels to provide composition ownership information in their metadata when uploading releases to the DSP. This can be done with custom parameters in DDEX ERN or via the new DDEX MWN (Musical Works Ownership) message schema.
 
4.) Work with the U.S. Copyright Office to create an integrated musical works registrations process so that works are simultaneously registered with the MLC and LOC.
 
5.) Expand the statute of limitation period on unclaimed royalties to 10 years and hold funds in an interest-bearing escrow account from which 25% of the interest flows to the general fund of the MLC and 75% of the interest is paid to the payee, along with the balance of unpaid royalties, once the payee has come forward or have been found.
 
6.) Commission an annual audit and publish the findings to members.
 
7.) Use blockchain, where applicable.
 
8.) Remit statements and payments monthly when a member opts to receive direct deposits and electronic statements.
 
9.) Display assessed administration fees on royalty statements.
 
10.) Do not implement high usage weights or bonuses.
August 19, 2018  

Another Music Modernization Act Opinion Piece

Some music industry executives believe that my position on many issues affecting music creators is too bullish. They dismiss my analyses as sensationalism. They believe, or are at least silent on the notion, that demanding the fair and equitable treatment of middle-class songwriters and recording artists should come with exceptions that disproportionately benefit corporations: major publishers and digital service providers.

But I am a copyright purist.

I believe that the authors of copyrighted musical works — songwriters — should have more say in the way in which their creations are valued and monetized in the marketplace. I do not believe in trickle-down economics or its promise that what’s best for the few at the top will benefit the majority at the bottom.

Greed disproves this all of the time.

Greed is asking songwriters to forgo the potential financial upside of bringing forward legitimate claims of past copyright infringement while simultaneously telling the songwriter community that monies that may become due to them could be redirected, by market share, to the few at the top who negotiated the preemptive dismissal of claims in the first place. Greed is telling artists to campaign for a piece of legislation that will reduce the number of entrants into the on-demand streaming market while simultaneously controlling/dominating the editorial opportunities of the DSP incumbents, greatly reducing opportunities that would otherwise be made available to emerging artists by startups that wish to partner with and elevate emerging artists.

I do believe that the Music Modernization Act will pass. I just hope that the decision-makers give some real thought to the millions of up-and-coming music creators who are not represented by the individuals who wrote the legislation that’ll change the way their copyrights will be exploited in the U.S.

August 16, 2018  

Is the Music Modernization Act Enabling ‘Legal Theft’ Against Smaller Artists?

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This headline is a bit more sensational than what I was trying to get across in my discussion regarding the Music Modernization Act, but hey leave it to the editors to shape your tone. LOL

Read the article here: https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2018/05/07/music-modernization-act-mma-legal-theft/

July 24, 2018  

Songwriters Are Owed Nearly $2B In Unclaimed Royalties!!! — Maybe More — I’ve Been Saying This For Some Time Now (Against Pushback), But Finally The Press Has Confirmed It

Over the last few years, I’ve been researching and sounding the alarm on the growing problem of unclaimed music royalties or so-called “black box” royalties.

I’ve estimated the value of the collective black box to be nearly or above $2B. I’ve presented research, have written extensively and have spoken publicly about this problem, which disproportionately affect independent and legacy songwriters.

Despite my fanfare, industry insiders and stakeholders have shrugged or have blatantly called my estimates a gross overstatement and have held that unclaimed royalties are at best a few hundreds of thousands of dollars and mostly owed to “long-tail artists” who do not quite understand how the music industry works. This is a very myopic, company-focused view. These talking heads tend to speak from their position of administering one right for some music licensees. My estimates are looking at multiple rights administered by multiple entities, which would make the collective black box exponentially greater than the escrow account of a single entity.

Also Read: State of Unclaimed U.S. Music Royalties and Licenses

Yesterday, Variety published an article on the Music Modernization Act where a very important fact was tucked away on a single sentence in a paragraph near the end of the piece:

The DSPs are holding some $1.5 billion in unmatched mechanical royalties. If the MMA passes, that money would be passed through to the MLC which would match it to the songwriters and publishers. [bold and underline added for emphasis]

via Variety

https://variety.com/2018/music/news/music-modernization-act-blackstone-sesac-congress-senate-1202881536/

$1.5B of royalties (I still believe this number is higher) is sitting in, probably, interest-bearing escrow accounts while songwriters and small-to-medium sized music rights holders struggle to understand how and why.

Last year I founded RoyaltyClaim, the world’s first search engine of unclaimed music royalties and licenses, which has recently been acquired by Made In Memphis Entertainment. We’ve helped DIY musicians and rights-holders identify thousands of unclaimed entitlements in just a few months, with one paricular music producer uncovering nearly $150k in unclaimed royalties due to him.

The problem is huge. The system is not transparent. And the people in charge could do a better job communicating these things to rights-holders.

Also Read: I’m Working On A Side Project Addressing ‘Black Box’ Royalties

I’ve been on many panels at music industry conferences where I’ve maintained my position that DIY musicians and small-to-medium sized rights-holders are owed hundreds of millions of dollars, if not several billion, and often my co-panelists have taken a position that my claims are sensational and overstated.

I disagree.

When those on the panel talk about black box we are talking about the aggregate of unclaimed royalties that occur because of any number of factors,’ and not just limited to one service or one collection society, explained moderator Dae Bogan, CEO of TuneRegistry.”

via Billboard

Source: https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/8456271/black-box-royalties-myths-panel-music-biz-2018

Read the Variety article here.

Check out my commentary on black box royalties here.

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