Songwriters Group Blasts Sony Music Over Royalties

Nashville Songwriters Association International sent letters on Tuesday to artists signed to Sony Music Entertainment as part of the ongoing royalty dispute between songwriters and the major record label, according to The Tennessean.

NSAI, which represents songwriters, has been at odds with Sony since the company intervened in the Copyright Royalty Board hearing to set mechanical royalty rates for services like Spotify and Apple Music. NSAI said Sony's proposal would reduce the royalty rate songwriters are paid when their songs are played on one of the interactive streaming services.

Bart Herbison

Sony is the only major label to seek to intervene in the hearings. In the latest letter to Sony artists, NSAI Executive Director Bart Herbison pulled no punches in slamming the company.

"Sony Music Entertainment (SME) label group has taken an unprecedented and disturbing position in their private proposal to the involved CRB parties," Herbison said in his letter to the artists. "They suggest both a decrease in mechanical royalty payments and limiting the potential for future royalty growth for songwriters in interactive streaming.

"Sony does not pay these royalties to songwriters, the subscription streaming services and their customers do. So why are they even involved? Our conclusion is they want to lower payments to all songwriters, including SME artists who write their own songs."

Herbison especially criticized Sony for being the only major label to involve itself in the royalty hearings. NSAI did not disclose which artists were sent letters.

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