Industry Ink (2/20/14)

The Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) Nashville Chapter and Fifth Third Bank will present “A Casual Conversation with Top Nashville Producers: Brett Beavers, Jeff Stevens, and Paul Worley.”  Award winning writer, producer, speaker and journalist for Music City Roots, Craig Havighurst will lead the discussion.

Panel Speakers will include:

Brett Beavers, who has written and produced songs for Dierks Bentley. Beavers has been honored at the BMI Country Awards every year from 2006 – 2009.

Jeff Stevens, who was named a 2012 Billboard “Hot Country Producer”, has produced all four of Luke Bryan’s albums.

Paul Worley, who shared with Lady Antebellum in four of the 2010 Grammy Awards: Best Country Album, Record of the Year, Song of The Year and Best Country Song.

The event will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 4 p.m.-6 p.m. at Soulshine Pizza 1907 Division St, Nashhille, TN 37212.  AIMP Members – $15, Non-Member – $25.  Appetizers will be served.  Registration is currently available.

For more information, visit aimp.org.

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Jennifer Shaffer

Sidewalk regional Jennifer Shaffer has been promoted to Dir./National Promotion, role previously occupied by Lori Hartigan before her own promotion to VP last month.

Shaffer’s prior stops include Rodeowave, Warner Bros., Columbia, Category 5, Lyric Street and MCA. Reach her at thejenshaffer@gmail.com.

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American Idol creator Simon Fuller‘s 19 Recordings filed a federal lawsuit recently against Sony Music, seeking upward of $10 million in damages, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The lawsuit claims Sony underpaid royalties to Idol winners. The issue centers around streaming deals Sony has with Google, Apple and Spotify. In those contracts, artists receive 50 percent of royalties for “transmission/broadcast” and a fraction of that for a “sale/distribution.” Sony reportedly attributes all streaming to the three outlets as “sales” instead of “broadcasts,” therefore saving on royalties owed to artists.

“We did not want to have to file this lawsuit, but Sony left us no choice, so this became necessary to protect our artists,” 19 Entertainment Worldwide Head of Music Jason Morey told THR.

“Such exploitation can only be fairly described as ‘transmissions’ or ‘broadcasts,’ and, upon information and belief, are so described in the licenses or other agreements between Sony and the streaming services,” the lawsuit says, reports THR. “However, Sony has nevertheless accounted to 19 for all streaming income received at the lower Album rate as if the exploitation between the streaming service and the end user was described as a ‘distribution’ or ‘sale’ and, by so doing, Sony has breached the Recording Agreements.”

The suit, filed in New York federal court, seeks compensatory damages in excess of $7 million, as wells as $3 million in interest, plus costs for the audits and attorney’s fees.

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