BSMI Midterm Questions

After World War II, a number of factors drove the growth of the recorded music business. Which was NOT a contributing factor to the growth of recorded music between 1945 and 1960:

The Sony Walkman was introduced and everyone bought prerecorded cassettes

To use music on a TV ad, which of the following statements is FALSE:

In the United States, use of music for a TV ad is subject to a compulsory license and therefore no direct license is required

Which of the following statements about music publishers is FALSE:

Physical and digital sheet music sales comprise approximately 25% of publishing income

A country that does not have a public performance right for sound recordings performed on terrestrial (AM and FM) radio:

USA

The overall music business today is worth how much?

Billions of dollars

The first million-unit seller in the U.S. music business was________

sheet music for "After the Ball" in 1892

Which was NOT a major factor that led to the boom in the U.S. record business in the 1950s through 1970s?

the introduction of digital production software including ProTools

Compact discs (CDs) drove revenue growth to the highest level yet achieved in the recorded music business, peaking in the year 2000. CD's were first introduced commercially in what decade?

1980s

Your textbook cites which figure as a significant early promoter of a professional musician who was a relative?

Leopold Mozart

Which musical instrument typically adorned the parlor of middle-class American families as the 20th century dawned?

Piano

Print music publishers initially feared radio's impact because it could shorten the period a hit song would be a big seller.

True

Which record label first introduced the LP?

Decca

By the 1970s, investors became attracted to the music business because of the great potential to make money with recorded music.

True

The rise of P2P file sharing in the late 1990s boosted the overall sale of CDs in the United States due to greatly heightened consumer awareness of new artists.

False

You are starting a new, on-demand streaming service called Pandellafy. In order to get a reproduction and distribution license for the sound recordings you intend to stream, you are obligated to negotiate those licenses directly from record companies.

True

Although the digital age revolutionized the recording process, ultimately it had little impact on the processes of distribution and promotion.

False

During the digital age, the ease of music copying changed the attitude of a generation of music consumers to think of music as being free or payment-optional for them.

True

The ease of downloading single songs increased overall label revenue substantially because it was so much more attractive to consumers than being forced to buy only full albums.

False

In the first decade of the 21st century, global recorded music sales changed by approximately how much?

Decline by about half

In the last few decades, what was NOT an impact of advancing technology on the process of producing recorded music?

expanded the number of retail stores that sold music

The rise of streaming as a delivery mechanism is more lucrative for artists than the download business model because royalty rates (per listening experience) are proportionally higher.

False

Though vital to the fan experience, the performing artist is just one category of participant in an industry involving many distinct elements and systems.

True

Your textbook argues that of the many factors that those aspiring for careers in music can control, three of the most important are motivation, talent, and perseverance.

True

The first U.S. copyright law was enacted in what year?

1790, when the U.S. Congress implemented a principle of copyright enshrined in the U.S. Constitution

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) criminalized the production and dissemination of technology that could circumvent measures taken to protect a copyright.

True

Anyone may make a recording and cover a song in commercial release without owing a sound recording royalty to the original artist or label.

True

Because of copyright law, under certain circumstances the employer may be considered to be the "author" if the employer engaged a person to perform on a work-made-for-hire basis.

True

The symbol ℗ stands for "performance."

False

Copyright law recognizes that some ideas are so novel that they deserve protection regardless of the way they are expressed.

False

A copyright is not valid until registered in Washington, DC.

False

ASCAP and BMI collect income from a variety of music users and distribute that income to songwriters and music publishers. The categories of radio and television are much bigger contributors of revenue than the category of "general licensing."

True

A Spanish language version of a Walt Disney movie would be considered a derivative work.

True

In the case of a hit song from the 1960s, who would receive a royalty if it were played on an FM radio station in Chicago today?

The composer

Publishers routinely prevent less well-known artists from releasing cover records of their hit songs.

False

A U.S. copyright in a musical composition created in 2016, and not a work for hire, extends for how many years after the last surviving songwriter's death?

70

If a songwriter is signed to a publisher, who pays the songwriter his or her share of mechanical royalties?

Publisher

In recent years, publisher royalties from performances have grown in importance relative to mechanical royalties paid by record companies.

True

To avoid legal conflicts of interest, nowadays the trend is for record labels to rarely own or affiliate with publishing companies.

False

What are the initials of the trade association representing the interests of U.S. music publishers today?

NMPA

The safe harbor provisions of _________ provides protection for YouTube from claims of infringement committed by its users if YouTube removes content when informed by a copyright holder that such content is available on the site:

Digital Millennium Copyright Act

Public domain is the period after copyright term of protection has expired, when works are made available for public use without compensation.

True

The name of the international organization to which all performing rights organizations belong.

CISAC

In 2016, ASCAP and BMI each collected and distribute approximately $________, less approximately 8 - 12% to pay for administrative costs.

$1 billion

Sound Exchange is authorized by Congress to collect and distribute which income stream to artists and labels?

non-interactive digital audio transmissions, like Pandora's classic radio-like service and satellite radio

The Music Modernization Act ensures that US AM/FM radio stations pay recording artists for the music they play

False

Massive consolidation has driven the century-long build-up of the major labels. How many major labels are there today?

3

Which of the following exclusive rights is NOT expressed in the "bundle of rights?"

Fair use doctrine

Samples under 6 seconds used in a new sound recording do not require a license from rights holders.

False

In the first half of 2018, the total value of all digitally distributed music formats in the US comprised _______ percent of all recorded music revenue:

75

In a Co-Publishing deal:

The writer gets 100% of the writer's share and 50% of the publisher's share

The compulsory mechanical license is an exception to the bundle of rights. Under the compulsory license, who is being compelled to do what?

Publishers and songwriters are compelled to let anyone cover their song once it has been recorded and released once.