Alternative Fee Structures for Registration

The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), a nonprofit trade organization representing independent record labels and music businesses, supports the proposed reduced registration fee for small entities. They argue that this structure is necessary for price-sensitive independent creators who cannot pass on registration costs and urge the Copyright Office to pair this discount with improved high-capacity group registration options for music.

A small business owner with 23 employees objects to the proposed 89% increase in copyright registration fees, arguing that the jump is too large and fails to account for inflation. They request that the agency either reject the increase or implement a scaled fee system based on business size or annual revenue.

An individual author opposes the proposed fee increase, arguing that it creates a financial barrier for independent creators and prevents them from seeking legal protections. The commenter suggests that the Copyright Office should implement a tiered fee structure for micro-entities and find more efficient ways to fund modernization without increasing costs for artists.