Obama Administration Backs Making Radio Pay Fees

[The Straight Story]

Obama Administration Backs Making Radio Pay Fees
Obama administration supports bill to require radio stations pay royalties to performers


The Obama administration is supporting legislation to make radio stations pay royalties to performers when they play their music.

The Commerce Department's general counsel said in a letter Thursday that providing compensation to performers "is a matter of fundamental fairness."

Satellite radio, Internet radio and cable TV music channels already pay fees to performers and songwriters. However, AM and FM radio stations pay royalties only to the songwriters — not the performers.

Cameron Kerry, general counsel of the Commerce Department, said the measure would level the playing field for all broadcasters to compete. He expressed the views in a letter Thursday sent to Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., who sponsored the bill and chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee.

"If enacted, the bill would advance public welfare by compensating American performers and the record companies that produce and distribute their creative works," Kerry wrote.

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=10264047

[MindPilot]

1. I dunno, my first reaction is that this is self-defeating.

this seems like a really good way to kill off the few remaining music stations especially the independents, which will of course hand them over to right wing talk.

[Sherman A1]

2. This will be interesting....

I am pretty fed up with broadcast radio & TV at this point.... So i just hook up the iPod for the commute.

[Fumesucker]

3. Between moronic and disgusting commercials and even more moronic and disgusting DJs..

I haven't listened to radio in a looong time..

I have more songs on my damn cellphone than the playlist for virtually any radio station these days.

Go ahead, kill music on the radio completely, it will hurt the performers that are corporate promoted, nobody else is getting on anything other than college and community stations anyway.

[KittyWampus]

4. how would this impact college/university radio stations? They're the only local venues left

that aren't engaged in a modern day version of payola.

Their budgets are small. Will they be able to pay even more money for playing cutting edge stuff?

What about classical music which has entire orchestras performing?

[Go2Peace]

10. good point, and local community stations. There should be an exception

[jmowreader]

5. I see lots of Republicanism on this thread

"If people are required to pay royalties to performers all the good radio stations will go out of business."

First, all the good radio stations HAVE gone out of business or they've become cogs in some big corporate machine: if you can remember KJR in Seattle, WMMS in Cleveland or WKDF in Nashville, you knew what a good rock station was supposed to sound like. Now KJR and WMMS are both Clear Channel stations, and as for WKDF not only is it a Citadel station, it's a country station. (Yeah, I was rollin' through Nashville one day and decided to listen to KDF...so I turn the radio to 103.5 where it is and hear, "KDF--nobody plays more country!" AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! Like they needed another fucking COUNTRY station in Nashville, for God's sake. Is nothing sacred?

And second, why should Mr. Scorpio have to pay a higher royalty rate than Clear Channel?

[Gin]

6. doesn't it benefit the artist already when its played on the station? it's a form

of advertising....

[skipos]

8. That is what Clear Channel wants you to think.

Those damn greedy artists!

[KonaKane]

17. Hahaha, yes, the old "it's great exposure!" gag

As we say in the arts community - people die of exposure.

Pay to play, folks. Pay the artists.

[Go2Peace]

11. I have no problem with this as long as it it restricted to commercial radio

it will drive out small and independent radio stations and leaving only the giant media playing music on the airwaves. Purely STUPID

[KittyWampus]

13. your reply is so obnoxious. You didn't address my question about college radio stations

Which are, across the country, the few local and progressive voices that remain on the radio.

As per usual, this sounds like new regulations/fees/fines that effect larger businesses very little but screw over small ones.

The fact you say there are no good small local radio stations indicates you have nothing of any real value to add to this discussion except name-calling.

[jmowreader]

16. In the modern era a lot of the "cutting edge stuff" is self-released

Thanks to the "miracle of the Internets" a little band can release all its music on iTunes and never have to deal with a record company. I'd have to look at the legislation, but my bet is a song that's written by the band draws one royalty rather than two--the intent of this legislation is to ensure everyone gets paid for all their work, not to make sure singer-songwriters get to REALLY cash in. And since the cutting-edge bands you're worried about already write their own songs, your worries are probably unfounded.

The parties who are going to be affected most by this are Clear Channel, Cumulus and Citadel--who make a lot of money playing records made by bands who don't write music. (Country stations are REALLY freaking out right now: very few country singers write music.) Which circles back to my original point: why should Clear Channel or Citadel get to pay half the royalties Mr Scorpio does?

[ixion]

7. "royalties to performers" is actually paying to ASCAP and BMI, etc

the performers usually get shaft in these deals, which is why they're ridiculous.

[KonaKane]

12. I'm a member of ASCAP, and you're wrong.

They do make sure their members get the fees and royalties coming to them when their creations are played over commercial radio. Twice, ASCAP has gone to bat for me when radio production outfits used my music in their promo campaigns without my knowledge, consent or renumeration. I ended up getting a settlement from said companies in both cases.

I most certainly have not been "shafted" by them yet.

[ixion]

14. Then you're in the minority

because I've heard horror stories about them for years.

[KonaKane]

15. You've "heard stories"?

I've discovered that fact finding is a more useful exploit.

[berni_mccoy]

20. The person you are responding to does not care about facts.

If they can turn anything the administration does into a bad thing, they will.

[AnArmyVeteran]

9. SELFISHNESS is a PRODUCTIVE, creators and workers are not...

Shouldn't those who have no talent makes tons of money, while those who are artists and performers get nothing. The selfish corporate thieves have zero creativity and they know how to exploit those who do.

It's the same in every field. The little guy with the talent and who work the hardest, get paid the least. Conservatives cheer on greed and theft of other people's ideas and work, and they aren't bright enough to realize they are being ripped off to.

[MadHound]

18. This is going to destroy small, community and college radio stations

They generally work with a small budget, commercial free, non-profit. They can't take this kind of hit. Wonder if some sort of exception will be made for them.

Somehow I doubt it.

[tammywammy]

19. I thought they already did pay performers for their music

Makes sense to do it.