Orlando
Rep. Val Demings: The Most Significant Update to Copyright Law in a Generation Passes Committee
Published
8 years agoon
By
Willie DavidWASHINGTON – Today, the House Judiciary Committee approved the Music Modernization Act (MMA), written to ensure fair compensation across the music industry as technology changes the face of entertainment. Rep. Demings (FL-10) is an original co-sponsor of the MMA, and since her appointment to the committee last year has been working with artists and industry representatives to create a compromise bill which satisfies all parties.
Said Rep. Demings, “As Stevie Wonder told us, ‘music is a world within itself/with a language we all understand.’ But while the language of music may be universal, the laws that regulate artists and distributors are decades out of date. I am proud to cosponsor the Music Modernization Act, the first major upgrade to U.S. copyright law in decades.
“This bill is a compromise reached after painstaking negotiations, and will bring our copyright laws into the 21st century. Artists, streaming services, and publishers rarely all agree on policy. The fact that this legislation has won broad support is a testament to the work done behind the scenes during its development. Musicians, technicians, writers, and everyone involved in the production of music should be fairly compensated for their work. The Music Modernization Act will ensure that our artistic community—which is a part of every joy and pain of life—remains vibrant, inventive, and rewarding.”
Background
The Music Modernization Act (MMA) provides major updates to U.S. copyright law for the first time since the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998. Rules on compulsory licenses were established in 1909.
The MMA is designed to update several provisions of U.S. copyright law regarding music licensing, in order to:
- address modern digital music by creating a blanket licensing system to quickly license and pay for musical work copyrights;
- ensure that artists and copyright owners are paid in the first place without the present mountains of litigation;
- improve payment of royalties;
- implement uniform rate setting standards for all music services; and
- update how certain rate court cases are assigned in the Southern District of New York.
The version of MMA that the Committee will review today also incorporates the text of two other bills—the CLASSICS Act, which provides compensation for pre-1972 legacy artists, and the AMP Act, which would ensure that record producers, sound engineers, and other creative professionals receive compensation for their work.
Rep. Demings is a co-sponsor of all three earlier bills, MMA (H.R. 4706), CLASSICS (H.R. 3301) and AMP (H.R. 881), as originally introduced.
Recent Press
- Billboard: The Music Modernization Act: What Is It & Why Does It Matter?
- “This bill was borne from good intentions and a genuine desire by songwriters, publishers and DSPs to solve a problem.”
- Billboard: Come Together: Why Songwriters Should Support the Music Modernization Act
- “All of this will lead to significant revenue increases for anyone who makes their living composing music.”
- “…it has taken painstaking negotiation between the digital service providers, the NMPA, BMI and ASCAP, those writer groups who have chosen to participate in the process and Congress to craft the MMA. A delicate balance has been achieved and there is no other train coming down the track.”
- The Verge: Congress may actually fix music royalties
- “nearly the entire music industry is on board with the Music Modernization Act”
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Russell Henley Wins Red Cardigan at 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational
Published
1 year agoon
March 9, 2025By
Mike BrodskyORLANDO, Fla. (FNN Sports) – Russell Henley wins his first red cardigan at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, today, along with $4 million of the $20 million prize pool. The red cardigan was first awarded in 2017, in memory of Arnold Palmer who passed the year before. This is Henley’s fifth win on the PGA Tour.
Russell Henley is greeted by his family on the 18th green after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)
Henley finished at 11 under par for the four day tournament, carding a 70 today. Collin Morikawa finished in second place at 10 under par. API defending champion, Scottie Scheffler, finished today at 4 under par, tied for 11th place.
Scottie Scheffler tees off at the Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)
This coming week, the top golfers head to TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, for The Players Championship. The winner will walk away with $4.5 million of the $25 million up for grabs. This is the PGA Tour’s largest regular season purse. Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com for more.
NFL
UCF Hall of Fame Inductee Shaquem Griffin Launches Search For Greatness Combine With Joey Grant and GMTM
Published
2 years agoon
October 30, 2024By
Mike BrodskyFormer UCF football players Shaquem Griffin and Joey Grant have partnered with GMTM to launch their Search for Greatness Combine at UCF on Saturday, November 9th. They’re giving local athletes a chance to showcase their talents and explore new sports opportunities. Griffin will be inducted into the UCF Hall of Fame on Saturday, November 2nd, during halftime of the Arizona vs. UCF football game. He is remembered for his tenacity, setting an NFL Combine record with the fastest 40-yard dash by a linebacker, and playing four seasons in the NFL, overcoming the challenge of only having one hand. He is now training to make the USA Paralympic Track and Field Team and hopes to compete in the 2028 Olympics. Joey Grant, the co-founder and CEO of GMTM, is a former UCF team captain, playing mostly Center for the Knights from 2011-2015.
Participation at the upcoming combine is free and invite-only, targeting athletes over the age of 18. To be considered, athletes must submit a highlight video via GMTM’s platform, showcasing their athleticism. GMTM will evaluate submissions and invite the most promising athletes to participate in the combine. The goal for this year’s event is to get 1,000 athletes to submit videos and be part of the combine process. Athletes chosen will receive personalized invites with further instructions, including event time slots and details. The athletes will be evaluated for their key athletic traits, to identify opportunities for them across multiple Olympic sports or professional sports programs. To learn more, or to apply for the combine, visit: https://gmtm.com/articles/the-search-for-greatness-at-ucf-with-shaquem-griffin-what-you-need-to-know.
Florida National News spoke with Shaquem and Joey about the combine, college football in the era of NIL and the transfer portal, and Griffin’s hall of fame induction. You can watch the full interview here:
Shaquem Griffin and Joey Grant interview
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Florida
Scottie Scheffler Wins Second Red Cardigan at 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational
Published
2 years agoon
March 10, 2024By
Mike BrodskyORLANDO, Fla. (FNN Sports) – Scottie Scheffler wins his second red cardigan at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, today, along with $4 million of the $20 million prize pool. The red cardigan was first awarded in 2017, in memory of Arnold Palmer who passed the year before. Scheffler first won the API in 2022.
Scottie Scheffler wins the Arnold Palmer Invitational. (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)
The number one ranked golfer in the world, Scheffler finished at 15 under par for the four day tournament, carding a 66 today. Wyndham Clark finished in second place at 10 under par. API defending champion, Kurt Kitayama, did not make the cut, this weekend, finishing 7 over par after the first two rounds on Thursday and Friday.
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