Warner Music consultant backs 'blanket fee'

Piracy: it's ILLEGAL!
Piracy: it's ILLEGAL!

Jim Griffin, consultant to Warner Music, has said he believes a new method of royalty distribution is necessary for artists to receive money for their music.

Speaking in an interview with Arstechnica, Griffin believes a system of blanket royalties should be in place, similar to that radio stations pay to cover royalties to artists.


He is backing a voluntary scheme, where a central pot of money is collected, perhaps by ISPs tacking an extra cost on to the price of broadband, and then distributing that using data on users listening habits.

The move would have radical implications to the music industry, as users would suddenly have access to almost every song made if all labels signed up to the scheme.

However, issues such as who owns the download if the subscription stops being paid, and what happens if some bands don't sign up to the scheme, still cloud the issue.

Basically, the premise is to hand over control of the music to the users; by letting them pay the money then decide how much they want to listen to, the whole thing could allow digital music to be properly monetised.