Round Hill Music - Update of the USA's Copyright Royalty Board Appeal
05/07/2022 07:02
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RNS Number : 3357R Round Hill Music Royalty Fund Ltd 05 July 2022
5 July 2022
ROUND HILL MUSIC ROYALTY FUND LIMITED
("RHM" or the "Company")
Update of the USA's Copyright Royalty Board Appeal
The Board of Round Hill Music Royalty Fund Limited welcomes the news that the
US Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) III ruling has been upheld, allowing the
royalty rates for songwriters and publishers to be paid at the increased
headline rate of 15.1%, which comes into effect from 1 January 2022. The
headline rates over the past 5 years have been confirmed as:
· 2018 11.4%
· 2019 12.3%
· 2020 13.3%
· 2021 14.2%
· 2022 15.1%
Over the past five years revenues owed to copyright owners have been paid at
the CRB Phono Mechanical II rate of 10.5%, therefore the Company can expect to
receive backdated royalty payments for the period in question. The streaming
services have been informed of the changes and have 6 months to pay the uplift
in rates to the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) who will backdate the
royalty payments to music publishers. It should be noted that the streaming
services have asked for an extension of the 6 month accounting period. RHM
confirms it will robustly defend the CRB's decision and is highly supportive
of the outcome.
Digital Service Provider (streaming) revenues make up a significant proportion
of RHM's total revenue base.
The ruling will require the MLC to process a significant number of additional
streaming service royalty statements covering the royalty uplift from 2018 to
date. RHM is liaising closely with the MLC to work through the details of the
past accountings and agree principles on how to handle processing income where
rights holders may have changed since 2018.
Josh Gruss, CEO of Round Hill commented:
"We are delighted to see the CRB appeal overturned in favour of increasing the
royalty rates, per the original CRB ruling. The Company has been acutely aware
for some time that songwriters and publishers have been disproportionately
paid by streaming services in the USA and this ruling goes some way to address
the imbalance. The CRB IV negotiations for the next five year period from 2023
to December 2027 have now commenced, with the writers/publishers asking for a
mechanical streaming royalty rate of 20%, something that we hope will come to
pass when the times comes.
"We have continually voiced our support for National Music Publishers'
Association (NMPA) and applaud its tireless lobbying on behalf of all writers
and publishers for fairer pay from digital service providers."
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Round Hill
Josh Gruss, Chairman and CEO via Buchanan below
Steve Clark, COO
Cenkos
Sales:
Justin Zawoda-Martin +44 20 7397 1923
Daniel Balabanoff +44 20 7397 1909
Andrew Worne +44 20 7397 1912
Corporate:
James King +44 20 7397 1913
Will Talkington +44 20 7397 1910
Buchanan
Charles Ryland +44 20 7466 5107
Henry Wilson +44 20 7466 5111
Hannah Ratcliff +44 20 7466 5102
Notes:
The Company is a non-cellular Guernsey company. The Company's Investment
Objective is to provide investors with an attractive level of regular and
growing income and capital returns from investment primarily in high quality,
music intellectual property. In order to achieve its Investment Objective the
Company will invest in a songwriter's copyright interest in a musical
composition or song (being their writer's share, their publisher's share and
their performance rights) together with the rights in the recording of the
musical composition or song (known as the master recording rights) together
with all such rights and assets considered by its investment manager, Round
Hill Music LP, to be ancillary thereto.
Founded in 2010, Round Hill is a fully integrated owner and operator of music
copyright properties and the sixth largest music publishing company in the US.
Headquartered in New York with additional offices in Nashville, Los
Angeles and London, Round Hill has an experienced management and investment
team with an established reputation and extensive experience in the music and
finance industries.
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