Music industry turning up DC volume in copyright war

As parts of Washington start to examine the country’s tricky song licensing system, the music industry is getting ready to turn its DC outreach up to 11.

From Hollywood to Nashville to New York, the varied constituencies in the music world -- songwriters, recording artists, record labels and music publishers -- are starting to launch new public affairs and lobbying campaigns, which come amid continued fights with online radio stations like Pandora.

The diverse industry camps have not always been united on what rules need to change to address copyright loopholes, and whether they’re able to send a cohesive message will be a deciding factor as to the effort’s success on Capitol Hill.

The House Judiciary Committee’s review of copyright law is stretching into its second year, with music licensing issues -- whether radio stations should have to pay new royalties to play songs over the air, for instance -- likely to be addressed. At least one hearing on the issue is expected soon. The US Copyright Office, too, is undertaking its own study of the music licensing regime. And the Copyright Royalty Board, a little-known entity that decides how much online radio stations like Pandora should pay to recording artists, is working on setting new rates.