Concert Promoters Nix ‘Unreasonable’ Music Rights Rate on Appeal

An association of concert promoters such as Live Nation and AEG Presents convinced the Second Circuit to reject a federal judge’s determination of royalty rates owed to rights management organization Broadcast Music Inc. from 2018 to 2022.

A lower court erroneously found the North American Concert Promoters Association, or NACPA, should pay BMI an increased percentage of an “unprecedented” base of gross revenue from concerts, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit said in a Tuesday opinion. It said the lower court failed to justify its inputs or methodology in determining the “unreasonable” 0.5% rate, or its ...