Music Technology Policy

The Copyright Royalty Judges have now published the proposed Phonorecords V settlement in the Federal Register, formally beginning the public comment process. Comments and objections are due August 10, 2026.

America’s AI infrastructure boom has become a political issue. Rural voters are increasingly challenging data centers, transmission lines, electricity costs, farmland conversion, water consumption, and tax incentives, forcing elected officials from Texas to Georgia, Utah, and New York to rethink how—and where—the next generation of AI infrastructure should be built.

The Return of the Freeze

To my knowledge, the current Phonorecords V proceeding is the first time a voluntary negotiation period at a Phonorecords proceeding before the Copyright Royalty Board may have produced multiple competing settlements addressing the same statutory mechanical royalty rate or at least a settlement by the majors that surely will be contested by indepen...

Bottom Line

The backlash has moved from local nuisance complaints to a national political issue. The fight is now about secrecy, nondisclosure agreements (NDAs), ratepayer exposure, water use, transmission corridors, an...

The national backlash against hyperscale AI data centers continues to expand geographically, politically, and institutionally. What began as localized complaints about noise, diesel generators, and aesthetics has evolved into a broader...