Exploration Weekly - ASCAP Grows By $53M Over 2019 / Copyright Office Issues New MMA Interim Rule / YouTube's Connected-TV Viewers Increase

Aaron Davis -


“I must be lean & write & make worlds beside this to live in.”

Sylvia Plath, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath

ASCAP’s new annual report showed that yearly revenue collections grew by $53 million in 2020, up on the $47 million growth in collections the organization saw in 2019. Domestic US revenue was also up by 2.5%, partly driven by gains of 28% in audio streaming revenue and 8% in audio/visual revenue.

The Copyright Office has issued an interim rule, pursuant to the Music Modernization Act (MMA), regarding notices of license, data collection efforts, reports of usage and payment by digital music provider blanket licensees, notices of nonblanket activity and reports of usage by significant nonblanket licensees, and data collection efforts by musical work copyright owners. It became effective October 19, 2020.

YouTube reported that in December of 2020, more than 120 million Americans streamed YouTube and YouTube TV on their TVs, further stating that about one-fourth of this group watched content almost exclusively (more than 90% of their total viewing) on TV screens.

It’s Metadata March and Songwriters of North America (SONA) is excited to launch the Sexy Metadata Action Group (SMAG). The organization will be hosting a variety of workshops this month. Register for the upcoming event on March 15 at 12 PM PST, discussing SoundExchange with SONA host Autumn Rowe.

Click below to learn more about SONA in our “Music Industry - 5 Mins or Less” video series, featuring our very own co-founder and COO Rene Merideth!


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Compiled by Heidi Seo

Exploration Weekly - March 12, 2021

ASCAP Payouts to Songwriters and Publishers Grew in Pandemic 2020 - But It Was the Smallest Increase in 5 Years

US-based collection society ASCAP announced in a new annual report this week that its yearly revenue collections grew by $53 million in 2020, up on the $47 million growth in collections the organization saw in 2019. The collected domestic revenue was up by 2.5% in 2020 at $969 million, an increase of $24 million from 2019. That domestic US revenue was partly driven by gains of 28% in audio streaming revenue and 8% in audio/visual revenue. The organization says that between 2015 and 2020, its collections saw a 6% compound annual growth rate, and its annual distributions demonstrated a 7% compound annual growth rate.

Music Modernization Act Notices of License, Notices of Nonblanket Activity, Data Collection and Delivery Efforts, and Reports of Usage and Payment

Pursuant to the Music Modernization Act (MMA), and after soliciting and engaging with public comments, the Copyright Office is issuing an interim rule governing notices of license, data collection efforts, reports of usage and payment by digital music provider blanket licensees and related records of use, notices of nonblanket activity and reports of usage by significant nonblanket licensees, and data collection efforts by musical work copyright owners. The rule addresses a variety of reporting obligations between licensees and the MLC. For example, regarding reports of usage, the rule establishes specific requirements for blanket licensees to report usage and pay royalties to the MLC on a monthly basis, with a cumulative annual report due each year, and an ability to make adjustments to monthly and annual reports and related royalty payments. The interim rule became effective October 19, 2020.

YouTube Says 120 Million-Plus US Viewers Watched on Connected TVs in December

In December 2020, more than 120 million Americans streamed YouTube and YouTube TV on their TVs - up over 20% from 100 million in March 2020, according to the Google-owned video streaming service. That lift, driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, helped fuel YouTube’s $6.89 billion in ad revenue in the fourth quarter of 2020, up 46% year over year. Moreover, about one-fourth of YouTube’s logged-in connected-TV viewers last December watched YouTube and YouTube TV content almost exclusively (more than 90% of their total viewing) on TV screens. YouTube is pushing its CTV reach ahead of the 2021-22 U.S. TV upfront buying season, when for the first time advertisers will be able to measure their YouTube connected-TV campaigns through Nielsen’s Digital Ad Ratings and Total Ad Ratings.

US Livestreams Earned $610 Million in 2020: Study

Livestreaming went from niche to mainstream in 2020, becoming big moneymakers for artists unable to tour during the pandemic, according to new research by MusicWatch. An estimated 115 million people watched a livestream in the fourth quarter of 2020 on platforms ranging from Twitch to Mandolin. Just 9% of fans - that's roughly 10 million - paid for an event such as Kiss' New Year's Eve broadcast or Billie Eilish's Oct. 24 live concert. That's a small fraction of the 110 million people who pay for music through streaming services or via purchases of downloads, CD and LPs. But the $610 million that consumers spent on virtual concerts in 2020 was more than downloads ($600 million) and CDs ($572 million). Whether or not livestreaming can maintain momentum in 2021 will help determine how artists monetize their global fanbases. While 66% of fans expect to continue watching virtual performances when concerts resume, according to Crupnick, streaming services are evolving to augment the in-person concert rather than replicate it. Some platforms allow artists to take questions from fans, host virtual meet and greets, and perform encores for a select few fans - and charge accordingly.

Belgian Collecting Society SABAM Joins the ICE Core in Europe

European licensing hub ICE was founded by three collecting societies: PRS for Music, STIM, and GEMA. However, its “ICE Core” also licenses repertoire from other entities: IMRO, BMI and independent publishers including Downtown and Concord. Now, the latter group has grown with the addition of Belgian PRO SABAM. “We pursued an exceptionally thorough process to ensure we achieved the solution that gives our members the most royalties for the online use of their works. In joining the ICE Core, we’re certain we have that,” said SABM CEO Carine Libert. The ICE Core licence is currently used by more than 50 music services covering more than 130 territories.

Canadian Music Industry Encouraged by 2020’s Streaming Growth

According to statistics by MRC Data/Billboard, music consumption grew 6.5% in Canada in 2020, buoyed by a 16.1% increase in streaming, as the number of Canadian music subscribers hit 9.3 million. In addition, total album equivalent audio consumption in Canada in 2020 reached 73.9 million units, up from 69.4 million in 2019, while on-demand audio song streams in Canada grew 16.1% in the same timeframe. These figures do not necessarily reflect a similar growth in recorded music income. Nevertheless, these promising consumption figures do give the Canadian music industry hope for the future. Music Canada CEO Patrick Rogers says that engagement with audio streaming is growing across all age groups, while Canadian collecting society SOCAN’s interim CEO Jennifer Brown revealed that there are 9.3 million subscriptions to music streaming services in Canada, up from 7.8 million in February 2020. This came despite a significant drop in bundled streaming deals in Canada in 2019, when Rogers, the country’s largest telco, ended its bundling deal with Spotify.

Random Ramblings

  • The artists who defined delta blues guitar.
  • The Weeknd’s "Blinding Lights" was named the world’s most successful single of 2020.
  • How female executives are leading the international streaming business.
  • Alice Cooper rules the Billboard Top Album Sales chart with "Detroit Stories".
  • BTS’ MAP OF THE SOUL: 7 is the first ever winner of IFPI’s Global Album All Format chart.
  • Massive sound design breakdown of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

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