HR 4789 - The Radio Performance Rights Act

[RadioMan203]

I can't believe there isn't more noise about this.

I can't believe that the greedy bastards at the RIAA and ClownExchange (oops, Soundexchange) are pressing for this. For those of you unfamiliar or uninformed about what this bill entails, here's the jist of it:

Performance Rights Act - Amends federal copyright law to:
(1) grant performers of sound recordings equal rights to compensation from terrestrial broadcasters;
(2) establish a flat annual fee in lieu of payment of royalties for individual terrestrial broadcast stations with gross revenues of less than $1.25 million and for non-commercial, public broadcast stations;
(3) grant an exemption from royalty payments for broadcasts of religious services and for incidental uses of musical sound recordings; and
(4) grant terrestrial broadcast stations that make limited feature uses of sound recordings a per program license option.
Provides that nothing in this Act shall adversely affect the public performance rights or royalties payable to songwriters or copyright owners of musical works.

Personally, I see this as nothing more than greed as the record industry attempts to save its sorry backside from the mess its got itself into. And, for you folks who are wondering, these are the people who I assume as "on the take" and as backing this bill:

Rep. Howard Berman [D, CA-28]
Rep. Marsha Blackburn [R, TN-7]
Rep. Steve Cohen [D, TN-9]
Rep. John Conyers [D, MI-14]
Rep. Anna Eshoo [D, CA-14]
Rep. Jane Harman [D, CA-36]
Rep. Paul Hodes [D, NH-2]
Rep. Darrell Issa [R, CA-49]
Rep. Henry Johnson [D, GA-4]
Rep. Jerrold Nadler [D, NY-8]
Rep. Linda Sanchez [D, CA-39]
Rep. Adam Schiff [D, CA-29]
Rep. John Shadegg [R, AZ-3]
Rep. Brad Sherman [D, CA-27]
Rep. Louise Slaughter [D, NY-28]
Rep. Edolphus Towns [D, NY-10]
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz [D, FL-20]
Rep. Anthony Weiner [D, NY-9]
Rep. Robert Wexler [D, FL-19]

Can you imagine your local full service or music oriented station radically changing format if this idiotic bill gets passed?

Here's an article that discusses how the musicFIRST coalition, another RIAA-created scam organization, attempts to portray broadcasters as music pirates:

http://dbcooper.livejournal.com/260939.html

The only thing I can say is perhaps if this actually gets passed radio should stop playing all music unless the labels and the RIAA pay heavily for the honor and privilege of having their music played on the air.

 

[busyradioguy]

OK I am confused. Is this for webcasting only or terra radio?

 

[SirRoxalot]

This has been discussed on this board in the past. Perhaps the reason that there isn't more hoopla is that virtually everyone agrees that the bill has no chance of passing the House or Senate in the current session. It may not even make it out of committee.

More than half of the House members have stated that they won't support the bill. That's good news for the artists pushing this pig. The amount of free advertising they get is what pushes their performances into the public eye in the first place. Their real target should be exploitative contracts from the recording companies that rob them of control over the content that they create.

 

[TheRover]

Personally, Corporate Rock Radio hasn't done anything for me lately.... say, in the last 30 years, or so.....

And I welcome The Radio Performance Rights Act to put pain on the "industry" that thinks they're doing me a public and artistic service by O-N-L-Y playing the same handful of songs, by the artitsts in their stable, over, and over, and over and over again.... When all commerical music radio can do is be "Hit Radio".... then they deserve to fail.... for artistic reasons alone. I get more clues about what to listen to from the internet fourms, than anything I hear on Madonna/Justin Timberlake/Garth Brooks/Metallica Radio show....


Here's a link to a WIRED article about this from March 11, 2009:


http://blog.wired.com/business/2009/03/bill-corgan-rad.html

 

[TheRover]

A CNET news article says that artists, especially struggling artists could use the extra income form performance royalties in these times. I agree. I could care less about the balance sheets for the likes of Madonna and 50 Cent....

There's not enough diversity on the radio anyway, so the agruement that this would cause some artists to be played less.... is a good thing. Some artists do need to be played --less--...

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-10165558-47.html

 

[TheRover]

Re: HR 848 and S 379 - The Performance Rights Act of 2009

BTY, with a New Congress in session, this Performance Rights Bill has been reintroduced in the House as H.R.848 and in the Senate as S.379.

You can read the text of the bill here:

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:HR00848:|/bss/111search.html|

 

[TheBigA]

A CNET news article says that artists, especially struggling artists could use the extra income form performance royalties in these times.

Maybe I missed it, but I don't see where struggling artists would get money from the royalty.

The only artists who would receive money are those whose music is played on the radio. So it's a case of the rich get richer.

 

[TheRover]

The Radio Performance Rights Act HR 848

Perfromance royalty for radio to become a reality .....

Certain members in Congress would like to see that happen, as would I.

Radio has done little to assist the music culture, if you count out their BIG push for the BIG Insutry artists.....

There is congressional will to impose the fee. The votes exist today in the House Judiciary Committee to approve a federal measure that imposes a royalty on terrestrial radio.

Seven House chairmen threw their weight behind the bill providing fair compensation for artists, musicians and labels when music is used by radio.

They are Judiciary’s John Conyers, Foreign Relations’ Howard Berman, Energy/Commerce’s Henry Waxman, Rules’ Louise Slaughter, Homeland’s Bennie Thompson, Oversight/Gov Reform’s Edolphus Towns and Ag’s Collin Peterson.

 

[TheBigA]

Re: The Radio Performance Rights Act HR 848

Radio has done little to assist the music culture, if you count out their BIG push for the BIG Insutry artists.....

But those are the only artists who will benefit from this royalty. So the rich get richer. What's the point of that?

 

[TheRover]

Re: The Radio Performance Rights Act HR 848

Radio has done little to assist the music culture, if you count out their BIG push for the BIG Insutry artists.....

But those are the only artists who will benefit from this royalty. So the rich get richer. What's the point of that?

So, just throw the towel in, because the Industry is so incestous?

Where's the justice in that ? ?

 

[TheBigA]

Re: The Radio Performance Rights Act HR 848

Radio has done little to assist the music culture, if you count out their BIG push for the BIG Insutry artists.....

But those are the only artists who will benefit from this royalty. So the rich get richer. What's the point of that?

So, just throw the towel in, because the Industry is so incestous?

Where's the justice in that ? ?

I'm just giving you the facts. To receive a royalty under the current proposed law, artists would need to get airplay. Most of the artists complaining to Congress don't receive airplay. They will not benefit in any way. The main beneficiaries will be the richest artists and the major record labels. Where's the justice in that?