Sound Exchange files complaint with FCC against a WY station

[davideduardo]

Now, Sound Exchange covers streaming royalties, not broadcast rights. But they are questioning a licensee of a station in Wyoming's character as an FCC licensee because they don't file the tedious Sound Exchange streaming reports.

SoundExchange Goes After Station...At The FCC - Radio Ink

Will the FCC get involved in a dispute between a radio station and SoundExchange? The company that collects money from radio stations that stream music online hopes so and has filed an "informal objection" to KWHO's license renewal with the Commission.

radioink.com

The FCC does not worry about whether stations have necessary business licenses, pay their rent and phone bill or do proper tax withholding for the staff. Why does Sound Exchange try to bring the Commission in on a totally non-regulated-broadcast issue?

 

[ZantennaG1]

Now, Sound Exchange covers streaming royalties, not broadcast rights. But they are questioning a licensee of a station in Wyoming's character as an FCC licensee because they don't file the tedious Sound Exchange streaming reports.

SoundExchange Goes After Station...At The FCC - Radio Ink

Will the FCC get involved in a dispute between a radio station and SoundExchange? The company that collects money from radio stations that stream music online hopes so and has filed an "informal objection" to KWHO's license renewal with the Commission.

radioink.com

The FCC does not worry about whether stations have necessary business licenses, pay their rent and phone bill or do proper tax withholding for the staff. Why does Sound Exchange try to bring the Commission in on a totally non-regulated-broadcast issue?

I don't recognize the station in question, but I think that engineer Frank in the article summed it up pretty good. If anything, this probably goes to Copyright Court, not the FCC in most cases.

 

[ZantennaG1]

In other Wyoming news, 650 KGAB has been off all day. Unfortunate, but if this holds up through tonight, then I can try for WSM and CKOM hopefully, yay!

 

[TheBigA]

Why does Sound Exchange try to bring the Commission in on a totally non-regulated-broadcast issue?

Because they're petty and greedy and just want their money regardless of what's involved or who gets hurt.

Keep in mind that this is the same music industry that says they just want to charge small stations such as this $100 a month for broadcast royalties, ignoring the time and expense of all the paperwork involved. The DMCA requires streaming stations to provide more than song titles and artists to SoundExchange. Stations need to list all publishing companies and other copyright metadata. A lot of this information isn't easily found. People I know who do this spend an entire day doing the paperwork, and the streaming makes them no money. The rules favor big radio corporations, not small licensees, and this is just one screaming example of why broadcasters should not play ball with MusicFirst.

 

[Theater of My Mind]

Why does Sound Exchange try to bring the Commission in on a totally non-regulated-broadcast issue?

I'm going to guess it's a straight-up intimidation tactic. Super dirty.

 

[TheBigA]

I'm going to guess it's a straight-up intimidation tactic. Super dirty.

The music industry believes the government is their bill collection agency. They also want ISPs to collect music royalties from streamers. They've been pushing this concept that there should be a surcharge on internet use and mobile phone bills to pay them for music streaming.

 

[Theater of My Mind]

Yeah that's not an industry that believes in taking it's share of the pie in a deal that benefits everyone. They want the whole pie and once they get it they'll demand another one, and if they don't get it they'll slit your throat.

 

[davideduardo]

Yeah that's not an industry that believes in taking it's share of the pie in a deal that benefits everyone. They want the whole pie and once they get it they'll demand another one, and if they don't get it they'll slit your throat.

Yes, and also the same industry that will threaten you with legal action for playing a different cut than the promotional one.

I had one case where the label insisted on a cut that did not fit our format. Our PD picked another. The label had all kinds of fits and made threats. We persisted.

As it turned out, the song they did not want us playing became the group's biggest hit of all time.

 

[TheBigA]

The same week that SoundExchange files this complaint with the FCC, we have MusicFirst also running to the FCC, making fake claims about the NAB. For the record, the FCC does not regulate the NAB:

musicFIRST Takes Aim at NAB in FCC Filing - Radio Ink

(By Ed Ryan) The musicFIRST Coalition is calling out the National Association of Broadcasters. The two organizations say the NAB is making hypocritical arguments to federal regulators and lawmakers. musicFIRST Chairman Joe Crowley says the radio industry is being hypocritical.

radioink.com

This is another act of desperation by Joe Crowley to justify his existence, making fake claims that "radio doesn't pay artists." For the record, it's not radio's job to pay artists. Record labels pay artists. That's why artists are suing record labels all the time. Radio stations pay SoundExchange, and they're supposed to pay the artists.

It would really help if these music organizations would read the Telecommunications Act, so they understand what the FCC does.

 

[Theater of My Mind]

The music industry execs are the only ones getting paid. They throw the talent a few pennies, there have been plenty of public complaints about that from artists about that, especially wrt streaming.