Music Modernization Act Viewed As Improvement Over Earlier Version. Following Senate passage of the Music Modernization Act on September 19, multiple organizations weighed in welcoming the bill and its “substantial revisions” to support the public domain. Public Knowledge noted that previous versions of the bill would have prevented pre-1923 recordings from entering the public domain until 2067 and credited Senator Wyden for his leadership on behalf of consumers and the public interest. EFF added that the compromise bill shows what happens when “tireless efforts by library groups, music libraries, archives, copyright scholars, entrepreneurs, and music fans made sure that the problems with MMA were made known.”
Music Modernization Act Is “Pretty Big Improvement” Over Earlier Versions. Mike Masnick’s take on the Music Modernization Act is that it is a fairly decent compromise bill. As the bill now goes to the House of Representatives for a vote, he wrote in Techdirt: “But compared to where we were with the CLASSICS Act, this is a pretty big improvement. It does still create this brand new performance right for pre-1972 works, which seems to totally undermine the point of copyright law, but seeing as that was going to happen no matter what under the original CLASSICS Act, the compromise here seems much better — as it makes sure that even as those works get this new right, they also will move into the public domain much faster than they otherwise would.”
Unlocking The Gates: Tech Opens Up Hollywood To New Voices. Ahead of Netflix’s big wins at the Emmys, TechCrunch profiled how tech platforms like YouTube, Instagram and Tongal are “trying to open the doors of Hollywood’s dream factory to a broader group of creative professionals.” Netflix teen dramedy “The Kissing Booth” was written on publishing platform Wattpad, and Hulu and other studios are buying the rights to even more Wattpad stories. Meanwhile online crowdsourcing studio Tongal is helping Hollywood to discover new talents for directors and cinematographers. One creator used Tongal to make the jump from producing social media videos for pet food, to working as an animator for Wes Anderson.
Big Bucks For Pro Gamers On Internet Platforms. It turns out playing video games might actually turn into a career, as NBC News reported that the esports industry will be worth a minimum of $905 million this year. Video game platforms are forming official leagues, hosting tournaments and live-streaming events, with viewers tuning in on Twitch and YouTube. Traditional sponsors like AT&T and Sour Patch Kids are paying attention, sponsoring esports to target the “elusive” gamer audiences. Professional gamers in Overwatch and League of Legends leagues earn mandated minimum salaries of $50,000-75,000 plus health benefits — turning a hobby into income, all while playing from their own home.
Nominations Are Open For ALA’s 2018 I Love My Librarian Award. The American Library Association (ALA) is welcoming nominations for their 2018 I Love My Librarian Award. The national award recognizes the public service accomplishments of exceptional librarians working in public, school, college, community college or university libraries in the U.S. According to ALA, library users nationwide have shared more than 18,000 nominations since the competition started in 2008 which have demonstrated how librarians have used their expertise to connect them to information, educational opportunities and critical technology to help improve the quality of their lives. Nominations are open through midnight on October 1.