Royalties
‘Legacy artists’ are still waiting for respect from music streaming services — and a new law might offer it
Performers and singers whose recordings pre-date a 1972 change to US copyright law receive no royalty payments when their works are streamed on today’s digital music platforms. Musicians, performing-rights organizations, and now even Congress, are working to rectify that.
Pharmaceutical Prospecting
Bob Carty reports on an agreement between the Merck Pharmaceutical Company and a Costa Rican conservation group to study all of the country’s plants and animals for medicinal properties. If the company finds any useful substances, it will pay royalties to the country for rainforest protection and economic development.