Springsteen and Others Soon Eligible to Recover Song Rights - NYTimes.com. The major labels stand to lose a massive income stream as heritage artists like Springsteen start reclaiming the rights to their back catalogs.
How the Legal Fight Over 'Y.M.C.A.' Could Change the Music Industry (Analysis) - Hollywood Reporter. Related article about the same issue at the previous link.
Aside: I was feeling nostalgic last week and looked up "One Thing Leads To Another" by the Fixx on Spotify. The top result was actually a "re-recorded/remastered" version, not the original radio version. But it wasn't a cover -- it was a re-recording done by the Fixx. As it turns out, some artists re-record their songs to claim master rights that are typically held by the labels.
This was further confirmed later that same week, when a friend who works in music licensing tweeted that she had once taken a call from Jani Lane, who was hoping to convince her client to use his re-recorded version of a Warrant song instead of the label's original version (and earn a bit of money that he probably wasn't going to get from the label).
Video explains the world's most important 6-sec drum loop - YouTube The history of the "Amen Break," which you have definitely heard.
First Listen: 'Muppets: The Green Album' : NPR. Muppet Show tunes performed by Weezer, The Fray, My Morning Jacket and others.