Administrators of Gospel Music
Thursday, October 4th, 2007 by Patrick Ross
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I had the good fortune of discussing the Copyright Alliance yesterday with the Administrators of Gospel Music Conference held in Nashville. About 80 copyright administors of various publishers of faith music were in attendance. These publishers were from all over, from Oregon to Illinois, from Missouri to Alabama, from Texas to Ohio, from California to Tennessee, from the United Kingdom to Australia.
The speaker just before me was Chief U.S. Copyright Royalty Judge James Sledge, the first person ever to be a judge in both the judicial and legislative branches of government. Licensing rates have been, and always will be, complex and controversial, but the Copyright Royalty Board under Chief Judge Sledge seems determined to do the best job it can, while recognizing that nothing sets fair rates better than the free market.
Songwriting can be a difficult life, but four songwriters I met there compared similar life experiences of working in traditional jobs and eventually leaving them behind to write music. They have found homes with some of the many publishers in attendance, and seemed grateful for the stability that brought, but each said they celebrated the freedom and independence they maintained as artists.
All told it was a very positive experience for me, and hopefully for the attendees as well. My thanks to Andie Rankins of LifeWay Worship Music Group for inviting me to participate.
