Los Angeles - Radio giant Clear Channel has dropped a waiver it had been asking independent and unsigned artists to sign to make them eligible for online airplay, which many had construed to mean that such artists would forego any royalties for this airplay.

Clear Channel and three other broadcasters agreed to offer airplay to independent artists as a condition of a payola settlement.

The terms of the license agreement offered to independent artists by Clear Channel as a result of the settlement drew complaints from the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), Recording Artists Coalition (RAC) and Future of Music Coalition, the latter of which filed an FCC complaint and launched a campaign condemning the license that prompted Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.) to send an inquiry letter to Clear Channel, Billboard reported.

Digital Music News reports that Clear Channel has added a new clause to the license agreement it offers to independent artists: "In the instance when Clear Channel makes the decision to use the content for terrestrial broadcasting and, as a result, for simultaneous transmission through online streaming... Clear Channel shall be subject to and pay for all applicable current and future statutory royalties as well as public performance royalties."

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/ywpwq6 (Billboard)

http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/stories/0719007clear/view

http://blog.wired.com/music/2007/07/clear-channel-s.html

http://z100.com/cc-common/artist_submission