Other digital platforms advocating for creators include, an online record store that helps music creators sample and license original recordings, and, a subscription service that allows music creators to create their own digital libraries with royalty-free samples, loops and more. And instead of having to wait for royalty statements, they get paid instantly and can license the same beat to multiple artists, the company said.
"If I didn't, 'Old Town Road' wouldn't exist."Ībe Batshon, CEO and founder Beatstars, the Austin-based digital beats marketplace.Ībe Batshon, the founder and CEO of Beatstars, told ABC News that artists who use the company's website have licensing agreements that are "formatted to make sure producers never lose their writer shares in any beats that are licensed out."īeatstars members pay a monthly user fee but they keep 100% of their sales revenue. "That was the best decision I ever made," he said. The beat was so unlike "what's hot," according to YoungKio, that he "thought this is not gonna do well," but on a whim, he decided to "upload something different for the sake of it." The song he was referring to is Nine Inch Nails' "34 Ghosts IV." After "Old Town Road" gained popularity, the legendary rock act cleared the sample and band members Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross also share writing credits. I started playing with it, chopping it up." "I thought, the composition is so great, I have to do something with it, so I used the sample. "It gave me this nostalgic feeling." he said. He said he found an old Nine Inch Nails sample and thought it was "amazing." But he told ABC News that he almost decided not to upload it to his digital store because it was "too different." The 19-year-old produced the beat that became "Old Town Road" in June 2018 while sitting in his room in a village outside Amsterdam. Netherlands-based producer YoungKio, who signed a deal with Universal Music Group in June. When he saved up the nearly $200 required for a yearly premium membership with Beatstars - an Austin-based digital music marketplace that promotes creator's rights - he began uploading some of his beats online. YoungKio, whose given name is Kiowa Roukema, began making music in 2016. Here's the backstory behind the viral hit and why the rise of YoungKio and Lil Nas X is an example of success in the fight for creators' rights. There were also roadblocks in registering the numbers of writers who could receive royalties under the copyright law.īut YoungKio, the Netherlands-based producer who wrote the beat for "Old Town Road," has had an easier time navigating this confusing industry and getting credit for his work.
In the meantime, royalties remained in the hands of streaming services, as opposed to music makers. Part of the issue was that if a streaming service couldn't determine the copyright owner or, in many cases, owners, producers were less likely to get royalties. As record sales dropped in the streaming age, music makers often did not get royalties from streaming services - an issue that advocates hope will be addressed with the implementation of the Music Modernization Act, which was passed by Congress in October.
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