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wow!it cuts out record companies ? via /. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/entertainment/new_media/newsid_1646000/1646811.stm A deal was struck between between representatives of the musicians and the recording companies. Until now, record labels, rather than the artists and other copyright holders, have collected the money and then distributed it. It is thought the agreement could have implications for the collection and payout of royalties to musicians in the UK and Britain. Groups that signed the agreement included the Recording Industry Association of America, a recording industry trade group, and two major artists' trade unions, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the American Federation of Musicians. Artists' groups the Recording Artists Coalition, the Music Managers Forum and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences also signed. The two sides agreed to share control equally of Sound- Exchange, an organisation that tracks and distributes royalties from digital broadcasts. SoundExchange made its first direct payment, of $5.2m (3.5m), to artists and other copyright holders on 15 October.
