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Songwriters and Publishers Fight for Royalties From Lyric Sites

by Caleb Johnson on May 11, 2010 at 09:56 AM

Lyrics websiteSome began as a hobby, but now, many of the websites that publish song lyrics bring in serious revenue. For example, Metrolyrics.com, which is owned by 24-year-old Milun Tesovic, hauled in about $10 million last year. According to The New York Times, songwriters and music publishers are now grappling with how to grab their share of these profits.

However, it's not easy for them to collect royalties from these sites. First, there are a ton of them out there, meaning that one could collect from one site but another may publish the same lyrics the next day. Aside from that, many of these sites operate outside the U.S., making it far more difficult to obtain information about the owner and to collect money. Finally, publishers have begun authorizing sites to publish lyrics from the outset. Not only does this ensure that songwriters get their money, but it encourages better sites with more accurate lyrics.

Still, David Israelite, chief executive of the National Music Publishers' Association, says it's nearly impossible to completely end the practice of illegally posting lyrics. "I think it will be like shoplifting at stores, in that we're hoping to keep it manageable enough," Israelite told the Times. "It will always exist, just a matter to what degree." Songwriters and publishers should focus on obtaining licensing fees for future sites, rather than treading water by attempting to track down thousands of old ones. [From: The New York Times]

Tags: lawsuit, lyrics, money, music, National Music Publishers Association, NationalMusicPublishersAssociation, NMPA, piracy, top

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