Law Commons^™

The growing body of literature documenting the power of music, from promoting the well-being of individuals to fostering reconciliation of cross-cultural disputes underscores that the value of music extends beyond the private interests of the copyright holders. The current dialogue about the First Amendment interests affected by modern copyright law has not fully acknowledged the research that supports the unique communicative potential of music. First Amendment protections for music encompass a listener’s right to hear it, as well as a speaker’s interest in playing it. The ever-expanding copyright regulations of online music have been used by incumbents to maintain market …