Music Publishing News Roundup 10.2.15: YouTube’s Music Service • Apple Music To China • Congressional Listening Tour

Indications suggest the long-awaited release of YouTube’s music streaming service is quickly approaching. The video streaming giant’s premium-tier service entered it’s bata last fall, however letters were recently sent out to holdout content owners which stipulated an October 22nd deadline to agree to updated terms that accommodate the ad-free subscription service.

While the letters indicated that 95% of content owners have already agreed to the new terms, they made clear that YouTube will not tolerate holdouts by writing “If you haven’t signed by that date, your videos will no longer be available for public display or monetization in the United States.”

Apple Music is launching for the first time in China-“the largest market in the world for app downloads”. Following it’s release in one hundred countries on June 30, the launch in China on September 30 signifies a release to the world’s most populous nation. Much like the US, new users will have access to a free trial for three months – after which a subscription to the service will reportedly cost 10 RMB per month which translates to only $1.57.

Last week marked the commencement of the House Judiciary Committee's "Listening Tour" which aims to review whether U.S. copyright laws are effective in today's digital age and ensure current laws are keeping pace with rapid technological advances. The on-going tour will continue for the next few weeks with over 50 planned meetings – many of which involve round table discussions directly with creators and innovators to discuss challenges they currently face in their chosen fields in addition to addressing what changes are needed.

From Songtrust