Rhapsody Copyright Class Action Settlement

UPDATE: The Rhapsody Copyright Class Action Settlement was granted final approval on Dec. 11, 2020. Let Top Class Actions know when you receive a check in the comments section below or on our Facebook page.

Rhapsody has agreed to pay $10 million to resolve claims that they failed to pay songwriters royalties for their streamed music.

The settlement will benefit owners of mechanically distributed and/or reproduced rights in (a) Qualifying Registered Works that were played on Rhapsody music between March 7, 2013 and March 21, 2019 and/or (b) Qualifying Unregistered Works that were not registered with the U.S. Copyright Office.

The details for Qualifying Registered Works and Qualifying Unregistered Works are available in the “Who’s Eligible” section below.

Plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit against Rhapsody claim that the company, which operated the music streaming service Napster, failed to pay songwriters the mechanical royalties they were owed for streamed music.

According to the copyright class action lawsuit, Rhapsody violated section 115 of the Copyright Act which required notices of intent to be served on copyright holders or filed with the Copyright Office within 30 days of the songs being made available to the public.

These notices create licenses that allows songwriters to collect statutory mechanical royalties. Rhapsody allegedly failed to follow this procedure, meaning that owners were unable to collect the royalties they were owed.

Between the suit’s initial filing in March 2016 and April 2018, Rhapsody and the plaintiffs reportedly attended three mediation meetings and exchanged “numerous” communications to resolve the settlement.

The settlement was finally agreed upon in January 2019.

If Class Members file a valid claim under the settlement, they may be able to recover up to $35 for each Qualifying Registered Work they make a claim for.

For Qualifying Unregistered Work, Class Members can collect $1 if the work was played more than 24 times.

Class Members need to file a valid claim by Dec. 31, 2019 in order to receive payment from the settlement.

The deadline for objection and exclusion is July 5, 2019. The final approval hearing is scheduled for March 13, 2020.

Who’s Eligible

Owners of mechanically distributed and/or reproduced rights in (a) Qualifying Registered Works that were played on Rhapsody music between March 7, 2013 and March 21, 2019 and/or (b) Qualifying Unregistered Works that were not registered with the U.S. Copyright Office.

Qualifying Registered Works include musical works that were registered with the U.S. Copyright Office before March 7, 2016 for works with a “street release date” before March 7, 2016 OR within three months of their “street release date” if this date was after March 7, 2016.

Qualifying Unregistered Works include musical works that were not registered with the U.S. Copyright Office consistent with the definition of Qualifying Registered Works. There is a Qualifying Work lookup available.

Potential Award

Up to $35 for each validly claimed Qualifying Registered Work. $1 for each validly claimed Qualifying Unregistered Work that was played more than 24 times.

Proof of Purchase

Copyright and publishing information for claimed works.

Claim Form

CLICK HERE TO FILE A CLAIM »

NOTE: If you do not qualify for this settlement do NOT file a claim.

Remember: you are submitting your claim under penalty of perjury. You are also harming other eligible Class Members by submitting a fraudulent claim. If you’re unsure if you qualify, please read the FAQ section of the Settlement Administrator’s website to ensure you meet all standards (Top Class Actions is not a Settlement Administrator). If you don’t qualify for this settlement, check out our database of other open class action settlements you may be eligible for.

Claim Form Deadline

12/31/2019

Case Name

Lowery, et al. v. Rhapsody International Inc., Case No. 4:16­-cv-­01135, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

Final Hearing

12/11/2020  UPDATED

Settlement Website

www.RhapsodyNOIClassAction.com

Claims Administrator

Lowery, et al. v. Rhapsody International Inc. Settlement
c/o Heffler Claims Group
PO Box 58232
Philadelphia, PA 19102-8232
1-833-253-8061

Class Counsel

Sanford L. Michelman
Mona Z. Hanna
Melanie Natasha Howard
Jennifer A. Mauri
MICHELMAN & ROBINSON LLP

Defense Counsel

Karin A. Kramer
Andrea Pallios Roberts
Arthur Miles Roberts
Patrick T. Burns
Thomas Cort Rubin
QUINN EMANUEL URQUHART & SULLIVAN LLP

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