Colorado band OneRepublic has joined big names like Paul McCartney and indie rock acts like St. Vincent in a plea for reform of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
The names of more than 180 artists will appear on an ad that runs this week in publications like Politico and the Hill. The ad targets Congress.
Some artists and industry insiders have signed a petition to say that the act, which regulates copyright online, now falls short, according to Billboard:
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), enacted in 1998, gives services like YouTube “safe harbor” from copyright infringement liability for the actions of their users, as long as they respond to takedown notices from rightsholders. In practice, labels and publishers say, this gives YouTube a negotiating advantage.
Petitioners say that YouTube's free video content keeps potential subscribers from joining services like Spotify and Apple Music. YouTube has said it gets no advantage from the DMCA and that it has paid more than $3 billion to the music business, according to Billboard.
Major music labels are also currently in negotiations with YouTube, a fight that is now very public.
