PiracyWatch: Will RIAA Settlement Money Trickle Down To Musicians?

Posted by Eriq Gardner

A fight between musicians and the RIAA may be brewing over the distribution of money collected from lawsuits and settlements in piracy cases. According to the New York Post, "A contingent of prominent artist managers claims that little to none of that money has trickled down to their clients. They are now considering legal action."

Some lawyers are starting to go on the record to talk about this. "Artist managers and lawyers have been wondering for months when their artists will see money from the copyright settlements and how it will be accounted for," said John Branca, a well-known music attorney (and THR Power Lawyer!) who has represented Korn, Don Henley, and the Rolling Stones, among others.

Actually, a lawsuit has already been filed by one group. Last week, we reported that jazz musicians filed a class action against Universal, and one of the major bones of contention was the non-sharing of piracy settlement money.