Rumblefish Inc. is a music licensing company specializing in all forms of
synchronization licensing
A music synchronization license, or "sync" for short, is a music license granted by the holder of the copyright of a particular composition, allowing the licensee to synchronize ("sync") music with some kind of visual media output (film, televisi ...
with a focus on 'micro-licensing' and online network monetization such as with
YouTube's Content ID. It covers over 1.8 million pieces of music and it licenses over 20,000 soundtracks on more than nine million social videos.
History
In 2010 Rumblefish partnered with YouTube to allow YouTube video creators to pay a small fee to legally license music for their videos.
In late 2011 Rumblefish entered into a partnership with
CD Baby
CD Baby, Inc. is an online distributor of independent music. The company was described as an "anti-label" by its parent company's Chief Operating Officer Tracy Maddux. The CD Baby music store was shut down in March 2020 with a statement that "C ...
to license the music from CD Baby's independent artists for movies, TV shows, ads, video games, apps, and YouTube.
In early 2013 Rumblefish acquired
Catalogik, a music rights administration software as a service (SaaS).
Controversy
Rumblefish has generated controversy by sending copyright
takedown notices to YouTube alleging copyright violations in videos' soundtracks, even when the user has written rights to the usage of a particular song or recording, or when users are musicians posting their own videos of songs they wrote and performed themselves and to which they own all copyright.
[How Rumblefish Ended Up Claiming Copyright On A Song Uploaded By The Band Who Actually Held The Copyright]
by Mike Masnick
Techdirt is an American Internet blog that reports on technology's legal challenges and related business and economic policy issues, in context of the digital revolution. It focuses on intellectual property, patent, information privacy and co ...
, in ''Techdirt
Techdirt is an American Internet blog that reports on technology's legal challenges and related business and economic policy issues, in context of the digital revolution. It focuses on intellectual property, patent, information privacy and cop ...
''; published April 25, 2012; retrieved January 16, 2016
In early 2012 Rumblefish falsely claimed ownership of
birdsong
Bird vocalization includes both bird calls and bird songs. In non-technical use, bird songs are the bird sounds that are melodious to the human ear. In ornithology and birding, songs (relatively complex vocalizations) are distinguished by func ...
heard in the background of a YouTube video, resulting in the video being taken down. When the owner of the video objected, Rumblefish reiterated its claim. Rumblefish CEO Paul Anthony later admitted that mistakes were made, and stated that Rumblefish would be improving its process.
In 2015, Rumblefish falsely filed a copyright claim on the
public-domain
The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired, ...
song ''
America the Beautiful
"America the Beautiful" is a patriotic American song. Its lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and its music was composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward at Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New Jersey. The two never m ...
'', as performed by the
United States Navy Band
The United States Navy Band, based at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., has served as the official musical organization of the U.S. Navy since 1925. The U.S. Navy Band serves the ceremonial needs at the seat of government, performin ...
(whose performances are all likewise public-domain).
[A most unpatriotic YouTube hijacking: America the Beautiful]
by Joe Mullin, in ''Ars Technica
''Ars Technica'' is a website covering news and opinions in technology, science, politics, and society, created by Ken Fisher and Jon Stokes in 1998. It publishes news, reviews, and guides on issues such as computer hardware and software, sci ...
''; published July 3, 2015; retrieved January 16, 2015
References
External links
*
Music companies of the United States
{{music-company-stub