Some media in some jurisdictions have compulsory licensing, but music recordings in the USA do not. Licenses are discretionary. I.e. must be negotiated from th

Some media in some jurisdictions have compulsory licensing, but music recordings in the USA do not. Licenses are discretionary. I.e. must be negotiated from the owner. Part of that negotiation is about leverage and bundling (you can buy our hits but not without also buying all the crap) and gives a whole industry of middlemen jobs. A-la-cart licensing would be a disaster for some of the goons in RIAA. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsory_license https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsory_license