Musicians May Lobby To Change Royalty Regs After Manhattan Court Ruling

Musicians are likely to target decades-old government regulations over song licensing after a Manhattan Federal District Court judge declined to change  the royalty rate paid by Internet streaming service Pandora. Consent decrees the Justice Department signed with two major music publishers in 1941 are still enforced today. Five protesting songwriters have said that, though hits they penned for superstars like Beyonce and Christina Aguilera were played 33 million times on Pandora, they received just $587.39 in total royalties. “Today’s decision further demonstrates the need to review the entire regulatory structure,” John A. LoFrumento, CEO of music publishing firm Ascap, said in a statement.