Money & markets
1908 Player Piano Laws Govern Spotify's Royalty Payments
10 min
A 1908 Supreme Court battle over mechanical piano rolls forced Congress to invent the concept of a compulsory legal license for musical compositions. A century later, this exact regulatory framework is what dictates how modern streaming giants like Spotify pay songwriters for every play.
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Show notes
Deep dive into the 1908 Supreme Court case White-Smith Music Publishing Co. v. Apollo Co.
Explanation of the 1909 Copyright Act and the birth of the compulsory license.
How the term 'mechanical royalty' survived the transition from piano rolls to Spotify.
The role of the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) in modern streaming.
Analysis of the 2026 royalty rates and recent legal battles over 'bundled' subscriptions.
In this episode
- 1Intro1 min
- 2The Perforated Paper War2 min
- 3The Birth of the Compulsory License2 min
- 4From Wax to WiFi2 min
- 5The Modern Machine: Spotify and the MLC3 min
- 6Outro1 min
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