Federal Stimulus Package for the Music Industry

On Monday, December 21, both houses of the US Congress agreed to enact several measures to help aid the bleeding music industry. These measures include: CASE Act (Copyright Alternative in Small Claims Enforcement Act), Protecting Lawful Streaming Act, and the Save Our Stages Act. 

The CASE Act’s general purpose was to aid songwriters and publishers. This act allows them to move forward with copyright infringement claims without having to go through an expensive lawsuit. A three judge panel would be made as the Copyright Claims Board at the Copyright Office that would hear, observe and rule on claims where damages would be capped at $15,000 for each claim and $30,000 in total. 

The Protecting Lawful Streaming Act entails that the federal government makes streaming of copyrighted work, without an official and proper license, a felony in the United States. This would allow for the Department of Justice to file charges against any digital service that provides such material for profit. With that said, it excludes individual users from being prosecuted under the law.

The Save Our Stages Act provides a $15 billion fund that will be disbursed in various grants through the Small Business Administration. These grants are for venues that can show they have lost over 25% of their revenue. The venues with the larger losses will be able to apply for the grants first. This allows these venues to continue payment to employees and handle other costs they may endure, such as rent.