What really happens inside a music royalty audit? In this episode of the Artist Rights Institute Podcast,ARI Director Chris Castle sits down with royalty auditor and industry veteran Keith Bernstein for a deep dive into one of the least understood — but most important — areas of the music business.

Keith walks through how royalty audits actually work, what artists and songwriters routinely miss in their agreements, and why audit rights remain one of the few meaningful accountability tools available to creators in the modern streaming economy. The conversation explores how legacy accounting practices evolved into today’s digital royalty systems, why opaque reporting structures continue to create disputes, and how streaming has changed the economics of audits themselves.

We also discuss the practical realities facing artists considering an audit:

• when an audit makes financial sense,
• common red flags in royalty statements,
• how reserves, deductions, and cross-collateralization affect payouts,
• and why leverage often matters as much as legal language.

The episode also examines broader structural issues in the modern music business, including black-box royalties, DSP reporting opacity, metadata failures, and the increasing complexity of digital accounting chains involving labels, publishers, distributors, collection societies, and platforms.

Keith offers practical advice for artists, managers, lawyers, and business managers navigating royalty disputes in an era where billions of micro-transactions flow through systems few creators fully understand.

Topics include:

• Record royalty audits
• Publishing and mechanical royalty accounting
• Streaming-era audit challenges
• Metadata and matching failures
• Audit clauses and contract negotiation
• Catalog valuation and accounting transparency
• DSP reporting systems
• Black-box royalties
• AI and the future of royalty administration

Whether you are an artist, songwriter, manager, attorney, or simply interested in how money actually moves through the music industry, this episode offers an unusually candid look behind the curtain.

Presented by the Artist Rights Institute.

#ArtistRights #MusicBusiness #RoyaltyAudits #Streaming #MusicIndustry #Songwriters #Publishing #DSPs #AI #Copyright #MechanicalRoyalties #Royalties #ArtistRightsInstitute

The information provided in this video is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or a solicitation for legal services. The views and opinions expressed are those of the moderators and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or legal entity. If you need legal advice, please consult with a qualified attorney. Copyright 2026, Artist Rights Institute. All Rights Reserved. Neither this video nor any transcript may be used for text or data mining or for the purpose of training artificial intelligence models or systems. Subject to Terms of Service at

https://artistrightswatchdotcom.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/arw-podcast-terms-of-use-v-2-e-tx.pdf

In this episode, we break down the little-known but sweeping amendment buried in the Senate version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) being debated this week. The amendment--which is now characterized as a "temporary pause" to make the 10 years seem trivial--would block states, cities, and even school districts from regulating artificial intelligence for ten years—if they accept federal broadband funding. Framed deceptively as a "temporary pause," this provision threatens hard-fought protections like Tennessee’s ELVIS Act and local school oversight rules while giving Big Tech a free pass to grow unregulated.

We explore the constitutional challenges, the state-level opposition, and how the amendment functions as a regulatory Trojan horse—allowing only pro-AI laws while forbidding anything that might slow it down, no matter the cost to artists, educators, and consumers.

Reading Materials:

AI Moratorium in Senate Version of One Big Beautiful Bill Act

Governors Letter Opposing AI Safe Harbor Moratorium

• Why the "pause" on AI regulation is anything but temporary

• How federal broadband dollars are being weaponized to suppress state and local laws

• The threat to the Tennessee ELVIS Act and biometric protections

• The legal case against the moratorium: Spending Clause, Tenth Amendment, Equal Protection

• How public schools could lose the power to control AI in classrooms

• The growing bipartisan resistance from state AGs, governors, and legislators

• Tennessee ELVIS Act (2024)

• Illinois BIPA, California Deepfake Law, and others

• NFIB v. Sebelius – Spending Clause precedent

• Printz v. United States, Murphy v. NCAA – Tenth Amendment

• Equal Protection & Due Process Clause applications #AIMoratorium #BigBeautifulBill #StateRights #ELVISAct #ArtistRights #EducationPolicy #BroadbandFunding #FederalOverreach #ConstitutionalLaw #SpendingClause #10thAmendment #BiometricPrivacy #Deepfakes #StudentPrivacy #StopThePause #BigTechAccountability #AIRegulation #LocalControl #CreatorsRights #MusicIndustry

The information provided in this video is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or a solicitation for legal services. The views and opinions expressed are those of the moderators and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or legal entity. If you need legal advice, please consult with a qualified attorney. Copyright 2025, Artist Rights Institute. All Rights Reserved. Neither this video nor any transcript may be used for text or data mining or for the purpose of training artificial intelligence models or systems. Subject to Terms of Service at

https://artistrightswatchdotcom.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/arw-podcast-terms-of-use-v-2-e-tx.pdf

Brought to you by the Artist Rights Institute www.artistrightsinstitute.org

Host: Chris Castle

In this episode of the Artist Rights Watch Podcast, we dig into a story that affects artists, fans, and the entire music ecosystem—how outdated U.S. trade policy is quietly strangling America’s vinyl pressing industry.

While demand for vinyl continues to climb, independent U.S. manufacturers face steep tariffs on the raw materials they need—like nickel, PVC, steel, and paperboard. Meanwhile, finished records can be imported tariff-free. It’s a textbook case of policy failure that rewards offshore production and punishes domestic creators.

We explore how this imbalance hurts artists, independent pressing plants, and local economies—and what can be done to fix it.

• Why vinyl records are tariff-free but not the materials used to make them

• How the Berman Amendment protects culture—but fails U.S. producers

• The crisis around lacquer disc supply and the lack of DMM machines in the U.S.

• How foreign ownership and inter-company transfers create unfair advantages

• Actionable policy reforms to support domestic cultural manufacturing

  🔗 References & Resources:

  • Full blog post: Why Tariffs Are Quietly Undermining the American Vinyl Comeback (MusicTechPolicy)

  • Berman Amendment – 50 U.S.C. § 1702(b)(3): vinylinfo.org

  • Chlor-Vinyl Industry Alliance (CVIA): chlorvinyl.org

  • Overview of Direct Metal Mastering (DMM): Wikipedia – DMM

    🔔 Follow Artist Rights Watch:

    • Blog: artistrightswatch.com

    • Twitter: @artistrights

    • Institute: www.artistrightsinstitute.org #VinylRevival #MusicPolicy #TradePolicy #Tariffs #PressingPlants #IndependentMusic #LacquerShortage #CulturalInfrastructure #ArtistRights #VinylRecords #MadeInUSA #MusicIndustry #SupportLocalMusic #AnalogIsBack #VinylManufacturing Terms of Service and Copyright; NO AI DATA SCRAPING

      The information provided in this video is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or a solicitation for legal services. The views and opinions expressed are those of the moderators and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or legal entity. If you need legal advice, please consult with a qualified attorney. Copyright 2025, Artist Rights Institute. All Rights Reserved. Neither this video nor any transcript may be used for text or data mining or for the purpose of training artificial intelligence models or systems. Subject to Terms of Service at

      https://artistrightswatchdotcom.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/arw-podcast-terms-of-use-v-2-e-tx.pdf

Congress’s biggest bill—the One Big Beautiful Bill Act—is a must-pass package President Trump campaigned on. But buried inside is a sweeping AI moratorium, crafted by a Google-funded think tank, that would block states from enforcing AI laws. In this episode, we explore the moratorium’s constitutional flaws, the bipartisan backlash it’s triggering, and what its passage could mean for the future of AI regulation in America.

#AIRegulation #OBBBA #AIMoratorium #StateRights #Federalism #ByrdRule

Chris Castle’s original post on the AI Moratorium: https://musictech.solutions/2025/06/07/the-obbbas-ai-moratorium-provision-has-existential-constitutional-concerns-and-policy-implications/

40 State Attorneys General Oppose AI Moratorium https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs/2025.05.15-Letter-to-Congress-re-Proposed-AI-Preemption-_FINAL.pdf

Senate Commerce Committee action on AI moratorium (news coverage): https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2025-06-06/senate-republicans-revise-ban-on-state-ai-regulations-in-bid-to-preserve-controversial-provision

One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1) text: https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/1/text

Byrd Rule summary (Senate glossary): https://www.senate.gov/reference/glossary_term/byrd_rule.htm

NFIB v. Sebelius (SCOTUS ruling on federal coercion via funding): https://www.oyez.org/cases/2011/11-393

IAPP: US House Committee Seeks Moratorium on State AI Rules:https://iapp.org/news/a/policy-analysis-us-house-committee-seeks-moratorium-on-state-AI-rules/

National Council of State Legislatures Opposing Moratorium: https://www.ncsl.org/resources/details/ncsl-urges-congress-to-oppose-ai-moratorium-on-states

The information provided in this video is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or a solicitation for legal services. The views and opinions expressed are those of the moderators and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or legal entity. If you need legal advice, please consult with a qualified attorney. Copyright 2025, Artist Rights Institute. All Rights Reserved. Neither this video nor any transcript may be used for text or data mining or for the purpose of training artificial intelligence models or systems. Subject to Terms of Service at

https://artistrightswatchdotcom.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/arw-podcast-terms-of-use-v-2-e-tx.pdf

Can the AI Moratorium Survive the Byrd Rule on Germaneness https://musictech.solutions/2025/05/22/now-what-can-the-ai-moratorium-survive-the-byrd-rule-on-germaneness/

One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Latest Version https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/91

Meet Adam Thierer, an architect of the AI Safe Harbor https://musictechpolicy.com/2025/05/29/meet-adam-thierer-an-architect-of-the-ai-safe-harbor-moratorium/

The information provided in this video is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or a solicitation for legal services. The views and opinions expressed are those of the moderators and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or legal entity. If you need legal advice, please consult with a qualified attorney. Copyright 2025, Artist Rights Institute. All Rights Reserved. Neither this video nor any transcript may be used for text or data mining or for the purpose of training artificial intelligence models or systems. Subject to Terms of Service at

https://artistrightswatchdotcom.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/arw-podcast-terms-of-use-v-2-e-tx.pdf

Planning the release of your record is one of the most consequential events in an artist's career. Music marketing expert Jay Gilbert of Label Logic gives you tips on planning that release https://www.jaygilbertconsulting.com/label-logic/

Go to the ARI Financial Education vertical for the slides and release planner https://www.artistrightsinstitute.org/financial-education/an-artists-guide-to-record-releases-part-3-jay-gilbert-on-marketing-plans-and-scheduling

The information provided in this video is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or a solicitation for legal services. The views and opinions expressed are those of the moderators and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or legal entity. If you need legal advice, please consult with a qualified attorney. Copyright 2025, Artist Rights Institute. All Rights Reserved. Neither this video nor any transcript may be used for text or data mining or for the purpose of training artificial intelligence models or systems. Subject to Terms of Service at

https://artistrightswatchdotcom.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/arw-podcast-terms-of-use-v-2-e-tx.pdf

Music attorney Chris Castle presents the record release checklist. In part 2, he covers artwork, credits and legal lines. For the part 2 checklist, visit the ARI website https://www.artistrightsinstitute.org/financial-education/an-artists-guide-to-record-releases-part-2-1, and also listen to Episode 4 https://www.artistrightsinstitute.org/financial-education/a-artists-guide-to-record-releases-part-1

The information provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or a solicitation for legal services. The views and opinions expressed are those of the moderators and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or legal entity. If you need legal advice, please consult with a qualified attorney.

Copyright 2025, Artist Rights Institute. All Rights Reserved. Neither this podcast nor any transcript may be used for text or data mining or for the purpose of training artificial intelligence models or systems.

Subject to Terms of Service at https://artistrightswatchdotcom.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/arw-podcast-terms-of-use-v-2-e-tx.pdf

Music attorney Chris Castle presents the record release checklist. In part 1, he covers sound recordings and songs, work for hire agreements, union issues, guest artists and step outs, courtesy credits, song split agreements and producers. For the checklist, visit the ARI website https://www.artistrightsinstitute.org/financial-education/a-artists-guide-to-record-releases-part-1

The information provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or a solicitation for legal services. The views and opinions expressed are those of the moderators and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or legal entity. If you need legal advice, please consult with a qualified attorney.

Copyright 2025, Artist Rights Institute. All Rights Reserved. Neither this podcast nor any transcript may be used for text or data mining or for the purpose of training artificial intelligence models or systems.

Subject to Terms of Service at https://artistrightswatchdotcom.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/arw-podcast-terms-of-use-v-2-e-tx.pdf