Napster is inching its way to launching its subscription service, announcing that it has signed a landmark licensing agreement with New York City-based Harry Fox Agency, a member of the National Music Publishers Associations (NMPA).
The agreement sets the payment standard for any company that wants to offer legitimate music file downloads, as well as providing songwriters and music publishers the rights to royalties in a 1/3 to 2/3 ratio with copyright owners of sound recordings, a longtime sticky point in the ensuing court battles.
The agreement still needs to be approved by U.S. District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel, by the plaintiffs in the class action and by the NMPA board of directors.
