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Business News Digital Labels & Publishers
Rap Genius signs agreement with US National Music Publishers’ Association
By Andy Malt | Published on Wednesday 7 May 2014
Rap Genius has signed an agreement with the US National Music Publishers’ Association, which sees the lyrics website properly licence lyrical content from many of the trade group’s publisher members.
As previously reported, the NMPA identified Rap Genius last year as one of the “worst offenders” amongst lyrics websites that “engage in blatant illegal behaviour” by publishing lyrics without permission. Rap Genius co-founder Ilan Zechory initially implied that he believed his website required no licenses, but welcomed talks with the organisation. The company also subsequently signed deals with Sony/ATV and Universal Music Publishing.
Announcing the truce yesterday, Zechory said: “The NMPA’s members represent some of the best songwriters in the world. Rap Genius allows these songwriters to showcase their work and interact with their biggest fans in unprecedented ways – we couldn’t be more excited about this partnership”.
NMPA CEO David Israelite added: “Rap Genius is a unique site that allows music fans to connect with songwriters and the emotions they express through their lyrics. That’s why today’s announcement is a welcome one, and I applaud Rap Genius for respecting the rights of songwriters and compensating them fairly for their work. As more music fans find lyrics they relate to and are curious about online, it becomes imperative that various industries form collaborative partnerships such as what NMPA and Rap Genius have accomplished today”.
And just to prove that there were no hard feelings, Israelite sent over a picture of his baby daughter Maia in a Rap Genius onesie. From now on, all settlements should require someone to wear a branded onesie, by law.
