Rock On – ‘Cracker’ Lead Singer Advocates for Musicians and Creators

Songwriter and copyright activist, David Lowery, led a class action against Spotify for failure to pay songwriters and publishers fairly. He won a $43 million settlement. Copyright is not only about creator survival, it is about who gets to determine what is creative and what and how the market values it. 

Understanding IP Matters is brought to you by the nonprofit Center for Intellectual Property Understanding (CIPU) with generous support from its partners and sponsors. The podcast provides leading innovators and experts the space to share their IP stories.

Chapters

• 3:11 Music business pre-internet
• 4:27 Advocating for musicians in response to internet piracy
• 5:34 YouTube's low royalties harm small artists
• 7:29 How does the modern digital environment compare to the past for musicians?
• 8:41 Pop music is better suited to survive in this digital era
• 10:02 Risk and revenue sharing structures
• 13:06 Tech companies are adverse to paying for creative content
• 15:03 Popular artists like Sonny Bono and Taylor Swift advocate on behalf of smaller acts
• 18:18 Class action lawsuit against Spotify
• 20:07 How working class creators can enforce their rights
• 24:51 Juggling teaching, touring and advocating
• 26:07 Monetizing content would be easier with stricter regulations on piracy