What to expect in 2022: Bobby Borg & Michael Eames share their music industry predictions

When Bobby Borg and Michael Eames look forward to 2022, their focus is on songwriters and music publishing. That should come as no surprise since 2021 saw the pair publish the essential “Introduction To Music Publishing For Musicians”.

By Bobby Borg and Michael Eames, authors of Introduction To Music Publishing For Musicians

1. Subscription Services to Digital Service Providers will continue to grow 
2. Twitter will finally be forced by the music industry to properly license music
3. The CRB (Copyright Royalty Board) will uphold it 2018 – 2022 decision to increase mechanical streaming rates to songwriters and publishers
4. The CRB will stay at the 15.1% 2022 mechanical streaming rate from 2023 – 2027, just like they stayed at the 9.1 cents mechanical rate for physical records and permanent downloads in 2006
5. While lobbying against the Digital Millennial Copyright act will continue, no changes will be made with regards to The Safe Harbor laws.
6. Lobbying will continue on the American Music Fairness Act (payment of terrestrial radio performances to master owners), but nothing will happen
7. While the fight will continue against the PROs consent decrees (i.e., the right for ASCAP and BMI to be able to negotiate their own rates with music users), nothing will happen
8. The business of synchronization (licensing in film, TV), will continue to rebound after its decrease during COVID-19.
9. We are going to hear more about artificial intelligence songwriting and more about the rights associated with it
10. Independent musicians will become more savvy about the business of music publishing and more and more will build awareness through music synch

Bobby Borg and Michael Eames are the authors of the Introduction To Music Publishing For Musicians