Music publishing company Wixen is taking Pandora to court for displaying lyrics from Wixen artists. Wixen settled a similar lawsuit with Spotify for $1.6 Billion. Wixen’s roster includes Tom Petty, Rage Against the Machine and others. The Verge reports that Wixen claims Pandora “knowingly used the lyrics without any valid license or authorization.”
I am by no means an intellectual property expert or attorney, but, why does this seem like we’ve crossed over to the ‘theater of the absurd’? And, seemingly, a greedy ‘theater’, at that.
So, the exorbitant, unending royalties that music radio stations and streaming services already ‘pay to play’ aren’t enough? No, even displaying the song lyrics has to be yet another greedy revenue stream, demanded by record companies, songwriters and artists. Where does it end? Why does the expression “shoot yourself in the foot” come to mind, regarding the insatiable greed of those in the music industry???
Enough, already!!!