US: DOJ to review 1941 ASCAP, BMI consent decrees

The US Justice Department said Wednesday it would review two consent decrees reached with music licensing groups ASCAP and BMI in 1941, a decision that could upend the business of licensing music to online companies, movie companies, commercials, bars and restaurants.

The department said it planned to review settlements reached with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and Broadcast Music, Inc (BMI) to set how the organizations, which license most music in the United States, must operate.

Companies that license music have worried about a sharp increase in costs if the system is changed because ASCAP and BMI license about 90 percent of music.