According to an article written by Radio-Info's Phyllis Stark, there was a forum yesterday at Nashville's Belmont University, where a rep of the US Commerce Department spoke in support of the Performance Rights Act:
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke said he only recently became aware of the performance rights issue, noting, “To me it makes no sense why all of the people who are involved in the production of music [aren’t] compensated” for radio airplay.
I wonder how he became aware. Probably from the RIAA. Anyway, the article doesn't say if there were any representatives of the other side at this forum. There ARE other sides to this issue, and they could have attended had they been invited. So this turns out to be another one-sided presentation where everyone ends up preaching to the converted. No surprise that they all agreed to change the word from "file-sharing" to "file-STEALING." Who would have disagreed? Were there any students in the room? I bet most of them don't care what you call it...they do it. Drug use is illegal too, and how many musicians and artists smoke pot? So mch for laws.
I thought the RIAA had a truce with the NAB. Wasn't that part of their deal? I didn't know it was still open season on broadcasters. Someone should tell the Secretary of Commerce that everyone IS compensated for radio airplay. Through the airplay itself. But the government, including the FCC, has no idea about the value of airplay or the value of the airwaves they supposedly regulate. This statement from Gary Locke is as uninformed as it comes, and demonstrates why the US government is completely out of touch with the real world. Someone, maybe the new head of the NAB, should schedule a meeting with Secretary Locke and educate him a little to the other side of this very complicated issue.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke said he only recently became aware of the performance rights issue, noting, “To me it makes no sense why all of the people who are involved in the production of music [aren’t] compensated” for radio airplay.
I wonder how he became aware. Probably from the RIAA. Anyway, the article doesn't say if there were any representatives of the other side at this forum. There ARE other sides to this issue, and they could have attended had they been invited. So this turns out to be another one-sided presentation where everyone ends up preaching to the converted. No surprise that they all agreed to change the word from "file-sharing" to "file-STEALING." Who would have disagreed? Were there any students in the room? I bet most of them don't care what you call it...they do it. Drug use is illegal too, and how many musicians and artists smoke pot? So mch for laws.
I thought the RIAA had a truce with the NAB. Wasn't that part of their deal? I didn't know it was still open season on broadcasters. Someone should tell the Secretary of Commerce that everyone IS compensated for radio airplay. Through the airplay itself. But the government, including the FCC, has no idea about the value of airplay or the value of the airwaves they supposedly regulate. This statement from Gary Locke is as uninformed as it comes, and demonstrates why the US government is completely out of touch with the real world. Someone, maybe the new head of the NAB, should schedule a meeting with Secretary Locke and educate him a little to the other side of this very complicated issue.