Amazon Strikes Deal With Independent Publishers

In anticipation of the release of their very own music streaming service, Amazon finally gave in to independent publishers to strike a deal. It had been previously reported that the media giant had tried "to bypass Section 115 of the US Copyright Act and create its own mechanical royalty rate", which caused some major issues with publishers. But this week Amazon sent out notices to independent publishers indicating notice of intent to obtain compulsory mechanical licenses – which means that they have likely dropped attempts to bypass copyright law. Read the full story on Amazon's decision to cave to independent publishers here.