Musicians' Group to Lobby for Radio Performance Right Royalties

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 14, 2007 - 1:06pm.

Los Angeles - A coalition of more than 80 musicians has been formed to seek compensation through a performance right when their music is broadcast on AM and FM radio.

Currently, musicians receive such performance right payments when their songs are played on satellite, cable and Internet radio, but not from traditional terrestrial broadcasts.

Radio stations are only required to compensate songwriters and music publishers, through organizations like ASCAP, BMI and SESAC.

Founding members of musicFIRST include Christina Aguilera, Jimmy Buffett, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Don Henley, Wyclef Jean and Jennifer Lopez.

"Corporate radio is the only medium that refuses to pay performers even a fraction of a penny for their voice and creativity," said musicFIRST executive director Mark Kadesh.

"This campaign is about making sure everyone, from up-and-coming artists to our favorites from years-ago, is guaranteed fair treatment when their music is played."

Radio stations appeared prepared to fight the call for additional payments to musicians, for what they say is a free promotional medium.

"The National Association of Broadcasters will aggressively fight the Recording Industry Association of America’s proposed performance tax on local radio stations," Dennis Wharton, executive vice president of the radio station trade group, told Mediaweek.

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/2c4r5w (Mediaweek)

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117966936.html

Published in DMW Daily, June 14, 2007

Next story: EU Seeks Artists' Comments on Plan for Pan-European Copyright Licensing

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Comments

Is the Coalition's Aim to Be Shortsighted?

Submitted by Randall Krause (not verified) on June 20, 2007 - 8:05am.

"Corporate radio is the only medium that refuses to pay performers even a fraction of a penny for their voice and creativity," said musicFIRST executive director Mark Kadesh."

That is one the most misguided statements I've seen published by an RIAA-spokesperson in a long time.

Last I checked, dance clubs, skating rinks, mobile DJs, and numerous other businesses are built entirely upon the use of recorded music. Yet they remain free to exploit sound recordings without remunerating SRCOs or recording artists.

Meanwhile other industrialized nations like Australia and the United Kingdom recognize a broad performance right in sound recordings -- a concept which is far too esoteric for the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Association of Broadcasters to grasp.

Clearly, the motives of this new coalition are extremely suspect. How is it "fair treatment" that only terrestrial radio broadcasts should suddenly implicate the performance right in sound recordings while performing the exact same sound recordings in a public location should once again constitute an exemption?

Randall Krause Executive Director Small Webcaster Community Initiative