NMPA_International_Survey_12th_Edition

NMPA: A Brief History
As technology changed the industry, from the introduction of radio in the 1920s to cylinder recordings,
CDs, digital media and now online distribution, NMPA has worked to interpret and improve copyright
law, educate the industry and the public about licensing, and safeguard its members’ rights.
From the mid-1950s, when the need for legislative revisions became apparent, NMPA cooperated with
other industry groups to study, debate and make recommendations on copyright issues. NMPA played an
instrumental role in drafting the copyright revision bill introduced in Congress in 1964,and which finally led
to the Copyright Act of 1976.
NMPA led the successful legislative battle for the Audio Home Recording Act (AHRA) enacted in 1992.
That same year, NMPA helped achieve Automatic Copyright Renewal, another hard-fought victory.Additional
legislative achievements followed over the next several years including: Digital Performance Right in Sound
Recordings Act in 1995,LaCienega legislation in 1997,and the “No Electronic Theft”Act,which was also enacted
NMPA INTERNATIONAL SURVEY TWELTH EDITION NMPA: A BRIEF HISTORY
in 1997.The LaCienega legislation was enacted in order to remedy a Ninth Circuit court decision in the ZZ Top v.
LaCienega case,which threatened the integrity of all pre-1978 copyrights.
In 1998 NMPA successfully fought new challenges to copyright protection by working for passage of the
Digital Millennium Copyright Act. That same year the Association also achieved passage of the Copyright
Term Extension Act.This Act extended the term of copyright to Life-Plus-Seventy (from Life-Plus-Fifty) in order
to bring U.S. copyright law into line with that of the European Union and many other nations.
NMPA also frequently supports important industry cases by filing amicus (“friend of the court”) briefs. In
addition,the Association is often asked to testify at Congressional hearings concerning copyright matters,and
is regularly asked to assist in the establishment and enforcement of copyright laws throughout the world.
As NMPA heads towards its eighty-seventh year, the Association vows to continue its legislative and legal
activities on behalf of all its members. No matter what new technology is developed to capture and disseminate
music, NMPA will be there to make sure that music copyrights are adequately protected, and that
songwriters and music publishers are fairly compensated for the use of their music.
In the May 4,1917 issue of Variety,a full-page advertisement appeared officially announcing the formation
of the Music Publishers’ Protective Association, the name by which the Association was known until 1966,
when it was changed to the National Music Publishers’Association (NMPA).The Association has worked ever
since to protect copyrights and to improve the legal framework for music publishing.
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