DiMA March Playlist Newsletter 2024
DiMA EVP and General Counsel, Colin Rushing
1. Spotlight: Colin Rushing, DiMA’s New EVP and General Counsel
DiMA recently appointed Colin Rushing to the newly established position of Executive Vice President and General Counsel. DiMA’s members welcome Rushing, a seasoned industry executive and copyright lawyer, to his new role.
From DiMA President and CEO Graham Davies: “I am thrilled for Colin to join DiMA as we embark on our new strategy. He brings all his invaluable expertise of US copyright law and a reputation for achieving consensus solutions. Colin’s knowledge of the US licensing system combined with his passion for championing streaming will be hugely valuable. His appointment underlines our work on a global basis, where we seek to maintain and develop environments that ensure our members can continue to innovate and contribute to the music growth success story.”
Read the full press release here.
2. Tune In: DiMA’s Thoughts on the MMA & MLC
Building on past DiMA testimony, DiMA President and CEO Graham Davies penned his thoughts on five years of the Music Modernization Act (MMA), the work of The MLC to date, and key opportunities presented by the redesignation process currently underway. Throughout the piece, Davies notes the MMA’s intent to improve the system for all stakeholders and establish a collective to efficiently and transparently administer blanket licenses for mechanical rights.
Key takeaways:
- DiMA continues to support the MMA, and is invested in the success of The MLC.
- A transparent, efficient, and neutral mechanical licensing collective is required for the future success of music streaming.
- Five years on from passage of the MMA, oversight is a key issue.
- Reasonable costs of the mechanical licensing collective cannot be a blank check.
Read the full piece here.
3. Celebrate: Women’s History Month 2024
Women’s History Month marks a key moment to recognize and celebrate the achievements of women around the world. On this year’s International Women’s Day, we were proud to recognize our all-female Board of Directors and the continuation of their many impressive accomplishments. With their leadership, our future is bright. We’re glad to play our part championing the growing success of female creators across the music industry. As part of this month’s celebration, we want to spotlight the outstanding women at DiMA member companies Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, and Pandora for being featured in Billboard’s Top Women in Music 2024!
4. Recognize: Fast Company Highlights DiMA Member Feed.fm
Fast Company recently included DiMA member company Feed.fm on its list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2024. In addition to recognizing the benefit Feed.fm provides gyms and fitness services such as Barry’s X and Hyrdow, the article highlights Feed.fm’s recently released Feed Originals, which not only provides a library of functional music for workouts or wellness purposes but allows clients to commission specific music. Congrats to Feed.fm!
5. Hit Play: Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI)
To help DiMA celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI) collaborated with DiMA to curate a festive playlist featuring some of his favorite Irish songs and artists. Check out the full playlist here and listen on your favorite streaming service. Sláinte!
6. On Repeat: DiMA’s Support for Canadian Creators and Consumers
This month, DiMA President & CEO Graham Davies spoke with The Wall Street Journal on how the CRTC’s implementation of bill C-11 risks making services less affordable and music less accessible for Canadians.
In the piece, Davies explains that “audio-streaming companies already make significant financial contributions to the Canadian music industry, noting that 70% of their revenue is paid out to song rights holders, and have helped promote Canadian artists to a global audience.”
To learn how DiMA and its members are working to protect Canadian creators and consumers from these risks, check out the full article here.
Follow DiMA (@digitalmediausa) on Twitter to follow the conversation.
