Out of Time, Trump’s Justice Department Loses Its Tune On Music Licensing
TV: Adobe Stock. Capitol: Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images
The outgoing administration had been eyeing the deregulation of licensing, which could have spurred price hikes and lack of access to libraries.
Of the 158 million Americans who voted in the recent presidential election, likely zero did so with music licensing rules in mind. Nevertheless, the election has already proved consequential for the song industry. When Donald Trump leaves office Jan. 20, it’ll be a mild surprise that key restrictions on ASCAP and BMI the two largest performance rights organizations will survive his administration.
Even in 1938, US media companies had stepped in to silence the hate speech of a public figure
Father Charles E Coughlin, a Nazi-sympathising Catholic priest with unfettered access to vast radio audiences, used to attack his enemies using falsehoods. Jan 19, 2021 · 11:30 pm Twitter, YouTube and Facebook have recently silenced false claims of Donald Trump and his supporters. | Olivier Douliery/AFP
In speeches filled with hatred and falsehoods, a public figure attacks his enemies and calls for marches on Washington. Then, after one particularly virulent address, private media companies close down his channels of communication, prompting consternation from his supporters and calls for a code of conduct to filter out violent rhetoric.