Music Index (EBSCO host)
Search: “Music Streaming”
- AND – Royalties
- Include relevant topics/terms
Results: 74
MasterFILE Premier (EBSCO host)
Search: “Music Streaming”
- AND – Royalties
- AND – Revenue
Results: 20
Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints
Search: “Music Streaming”
- AND – royalties
Results: 71
Starting out, I would say that Music Index was a useful source that provided an abundance of material to sift through. I did end up having to change up the Boolean terms in order to narrow down my results. Next, Master FILE produced similar results and also proved to be a useful resource. This was also a new database I found and will probably use in my research later on. Finally, Gale in Context. This was my second new database, but I’m not sure I will hang onto it. It provided me with quite a few news articles to sift through, but not many studies to work with.
References:
Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints
Search: “Music Streaming”
- AND – royalties
Music streaming services tackling unfair royalty payments as Spotify entry looms. (2020, March 26). Korea Times News [Seoul, Korea], NA. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A618758464/OVIC?u=klnb_fhsuniv&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=dfdcf1d0
This article goes into a couple different subjects but sticks to the general topic of music streaming and some points of concern. Musicians are unhappy with the small percentage they are being reimbursed for their content and want to see change. When it talks about how much is going to what party, many streaming platforms will keep around 35%. The remaining 65% will then get divided among the production company (~48%) leaving artists with a small fraction to work with. Another problem is the rise of farming views. Instances of unpopular artists raising to the top of the charts has been documented thanks to the help of fake businesses who’s purpose is to generate millions of fake views. In a small step to remedy this problem, “SK’s FLO said it will eliminate its real-time chart which has been renewed every hour, as it has a negative impact in the music industry by prompting unnecessary competition. Instead, it will show a daily chart based on data accumulated within the last 24 hours while recommending songs in each users’ front page based on an algorithm that analyzes each user’s preferences.” It is also reported that Spotify has opened an office in Seoul and will begin working with artists to distribute their music.
Unfortunately, I do not think this is the most reliable source. I tried to trace this article back to the original website and was unable to connect to it, there is also a lack of citation within the article which makes it difficult to verify all of the information right off hand. However, it does bring up very valid points that readers should pay attention to. I wouldn’t skip reading this article, but I would consider finding a more reliable source to cite. I do think it’s important to include the fact that we’re looking at multiple issues now, not just the problem with getting paid a fair percentage.
MasterFILE Premier (EBSCO host)
Search: “Music Streaming”
- AND – Royalties
- AND – Revenue
Nelson, D. (2019). Music Modernization Act streamlines music licensing. Grand Rapids Business Journal, 37(22), 1–2. https://web-s-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.fhsu.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=a6feb519-3844-406b-ac79-d9c30412a65b%40redis
This online article briefly explains the Music Modernization Act, which was passed in October of 2019, and how it is designed to fairly compensate all of the parties involved with the production of a song in a world where streaming is the dominant form of music consumption. There are three parts to the bill which include: Title I—Music Licensing Modernization; Title II—Classics Protection and Access; and Title III—Allocation for Music Producers. The source isn’t biased, and I am not worried about its reliability. I think this would be good to include with the research to help give readers some insight into what steps have been taken to help remedy the situation.