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The lead singer of Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven has filed a proposed class action against Spotify that accuses the music streaming service of an ‘egregious, continuous and ongoing campaign of deliberate copyright infringement.’
David Lowery, a songwriter and music producer, is seeking more than $150 million on behalf of copyright owners whose musical works were distributed by Spotify without a license. The’suit, filed in late December in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, was first reported by the music and entertainment publication Billboard, which’noted‘that Spotify has been in negotiations with the National Music Publishers Association regarding licensing issues.
‘We are committed to paying songwriters and publishers every penny,’ Jonathan Prince, global head of communications and public policy at Spotify, said in an emailed statement. ‘Unfortunately, especially in the United States, the data necessary to confirm the appropriate rightsholders is often missing, wrong, or incomplete. When rightsholders are not immediately clear, we set aside the royalties we owe until we are able to confirm their identities. We are working closely with the National Music Publishers Association to find the best way to correctly pay the royalties we have set aside and we are investing in the resources and technical expertise to build a comprehensive publishing administration system to solve this problem for good.’
Lowery, represented by Michelman & Robinson, alleges that the infringement is intentional. Spotify’s reserve fund, according to Lowery, demonstrates that it reproduces and distributes works without the required authorization.
–‘Vanessa Blum, The Recorder
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