Artist Rights Symposium V will examine whether Section 115’s streaming mechanical royalty formula should be replaced by a fixed per-stream penny rate with a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA).
In a short video, Gwendolyn Seale and Artist Rights Institute Director Chris Castle introduce the panel, titled “The 39 Steps.”
Seale will participate alongside attorneys Tim Kappel and Shannon Sorensen. All three represent clients before the Copyright Royalty Board in Phonorecords V.
Artist Rights Institute Director and University of Georgia professor David C. Lowery will moderate. Lowery teaches in the Terry College of Business Music Certificate program.
Lowery led the class action against Spotify over unpaid streaming mechanical royalties. He is also a class representative in the Isbell v. Suno class action.
The symposium takes place on October 19, 2026, at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. The hosts are the Terry College of Business and the university’s School of Policy and International Affairs.
