British songwriters body BASCA takes aim at Google and SoundCloud

Chairman tells internet firms 'you are undermining the value of our music' as well as making it harder for licensed streaming services to survive

The chairman of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA) has criticised Google and SoundCloud - by clear reference, if not by name - in a speech at its Ivor Novello Awards.

Delivering the introductory speech at the event, Simon Darlow focused on the licensing arguments around streaming music, and specifically on companies that he feels are not respecting songwriters.

"For those of you here today whose search engines provide links to software that enable people to steal songs from a service which is only licensed to stream, you are undermining the value of our music.

For any of you whose company maintains that it has to pay only if it monetises our works, you too are undermining the value of our music. For any others out there who remain unlicensed and rely on notice and takedown, you are accessories to the theft of our music.

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