“Having very frequent, more positive and hopefully collaborative conversations with startups who want to use their catalog, having those conversations much,  much earlier on, and building out a long-term where they’re proactively pursuing those collaborations with mutually favorable terms, as opposed to ending up in a position where they have to be purely reactive and suing companies and people which definitely is not a good place to be in financially but also in terms of public perception.”

– Cherie Hu, Water & Music

Guest: Cherie Hu, Founder, Water & Music

How is the way the music industry and musicians are compensated similar to and different from the way publishers are compensated? What lessons has the music industry learned to help them better protect against unauthorized use of their content? How could web3/blockchain play a role in compensation models for the music and publishing industries? What are the potential roles AI could play in music creation and/or distribution? 

In this episode of News Take, Cherie Hu, founder of music collaboration and research firm Water & Music, joins News Take host Rebecca Frank for a fascinating discussion about how the music industry has navigated changes to the ways music is distributed and consumed. Hu draws parallels, as well as distinctions, between how musical content is protected and compensated, and those same aspects of publishing. She shares insights on how emerging technologies, including web3/blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI) can be leveraged by content creators now and possibly down the road, and breaks down the two camps of AI users from a philosophical and business perspective. Finally, she touches on the work Water & Music is doing to bring new industry innovators together, as well as her take on trends in music innovation that translate to the publishing world.

Listen or download the audio file to listen offline:

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Speaker bio:

Cherie Hu is the founder of Water & Music, a research network focused on analyzing music and tech trends. Previously, Cherie penned hundreds of articles on music and tech as a freelance writer for publications including Billboard, Forbes, Pitchfork and Variety. She has spoken as an expert commentator on CNBC and SiriusXM Volume; as a guest lecturer at institutions such as Harvard University, NYU, Northeastern, and Berklee College of Music in Valencia; and spoken at over 30 conferences around the world.

Related links:

Water & Music

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Send your suggestions for future News Take guests to Alliance VP, Research & Insights Rebecca Frank at rebecca@newsmediaalliance.org.

News Take Production Team:

Host and Executive Producer: Rebecca Frank, VP, Research & Insights, News/Media Alliance

Production Support, Editing & Distribution:

Georgi-Ann Clarke, Social Media & Content Manager, News/Media Alliance
Rachel Fox, Manager, Membership & Events, News/Media Alliance
Lindsey Loving, Director, Communications, News/Media Alliance

Audio & Video Engineer: Current Media Group

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The post News Take Episode 204: Navigating the Digital Media Transition: Lessons from the Music Industry appeared first on News/Media Alliance.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Arlington, VA – The News/Media Alliance today filed comments and an accompanying economic study with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), urging the agency to ensure news and magazine publishers maintain the ability to benefit from digital advertising under any potential consumer privacy rules it may adopt. The comments were in response to the FTC’s Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) on commercial surveillance and data security, published in August. The ANPR requested stakeholder feedback on whether the agency should implement new trade regulation rules on how companies use consumer data.

Highlighting the vital role high-quality journalism plays in supporting a healthy democracy and vibrant local economies – and the importance of digital advertising in supporting investments in journalism – the Alliance in its submission to the FTC recommends the adoption of a “Data Poaching Rule” that would prohibit dominant tech platforms from poaching first-party consumer data from publishers.

Today the dominant platforms use their market power to collect consumer data broadly throughout the internet – not just to provide a service in exchange for data – while also dictating the contractual terms of any services they provide, giving them broad usage rights to the data they poach. Third-party collection and selling of users’ data on websites owned by news and magazine publishers is not within a reasonable expectation of our readers. The platforms’ extensive tracking of consumers can eventually lead to an erosion of consumer trust and weaker competition in digital advertising markets. The Alliance’s proposed Data Poaching Rule would grant the sole right to collect consumer data to the known owner or operator of the digital property with whom the consumer interacts. Based on the Apple App Tracking changes over the last couple of years, it can be expected that around 10 percent of current revenue received by the platforms will shift to publishers, including news and magazine publishers, which will in turn result in increased quality journalism.

“Regulators must act now to address the monopolistic practices of the dominant platforms that suppress competition and threaten quality journalism in the digital ecosystem,” stated Alliance Executive Vice President & General Counsel Danielle Coffey. “Federal consumer privacy rules, if drafted properly, could help rebalance the playing field, with the Data Poaching Rule ensuring that those who produce original content and build long-lasting and trusting relationships with their users benefit the most from digital advertising on their websites.”

The comments also discuss the quid pro quo relationship between publishers and their readers – and publishers’ practice of clearly disclosing their data collection practices upfront and the benefit consumers receive from it – in addition to noting the benefits of targeted advertising, when conducted responsibly. The comments also call on the FTC to be mindful of existing data security and privacy compliance frameworks and to make sure any new rules would be consistent with those laws and regulations in order to lower compliance costs and provide consistency and predictability.

The comments further argue that any new rules should be weighed against the harm to the consumer, apportioned based on size and risk, and allow for companies to cure violations that have not resulted in “substantial privacy harm” under certain circumstances. Enforcement, meanwhile, should focus on instances of reckless or knowing violations.

The News/Media Alliance’s comments can be viewed in full here and the economic study – produced by Hal Singer and Augustus Urschel of Econ One – here.

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Media Contact:
Lindsey Loving
Director, Communications
News/Media Alliance
lindsey@newsmediaalliance.org

The News/Media Alliance is a nonprofit organization representing more than 2,000 news and magazine media organizations and their multiplatform businesses in the United States and globally. Alliance members include print and digital publishers of original journalism. Headquartered just outside Washington, D.C., the association focuses on ensuring the future of journalism through communication, research, advocacy, and innovation. Information about the News/Media Alliance can be found at www.newsmediaalliance.org.

The post News/Media Alliance Calls on Federal Trade Commission to Safeguard Journalism, Adopt “Data Poaching Rule” appeared first on News/Media Alliance.