Roll Call
It's time to correct a creative injustice
October 26, 2009
By Reps. Jim Cooper, Hank Johnson, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Marsha Blackburn and Darrell Issa

"In the long-running feud between singers and radio broadcasters, we believe it is time to correct a historic inequity on behalf of the artists who make the music come alive. We are not against broadcasters, but we believe that performers have a right to benefit from their own labor, and that no radio station should be able to take their recordings without fair compensation. This is, fundamentally, a property-rights issue..."

"It's not just Congress that thinks we should treat our creative artists and performers fairly. Every administration, Democratic or Republican, that has studied this has concluded that reasonable payments are due the performers. Simply playing their songs on air is no longer sufficient compensation for their work, especially when the world acknowledges the unfairness. With a productive negotiation, performers and broadcasters could strengthen, not weaken, the symbiotic relationship that enables both industries to be successful..."

Philadelphia Inquirer
Radio should pay those who make it rich
September 23, 2009
By Helen Bruner and Terry Jones

"A loophole in copyright law gives broadcast radio - and only broadcast radio - a free ride. Satellite radio, Internet radio, and cable-TV music stations pay artists and musicians for the music they use...But when you hear your favorite musicians on the radio, they are not being paid for their work..."
"The bill includes accommodations for small and minority broadcasters. Three-quarters of American music-playing radio stations will pay $5,000 or less a year for all the music they use. The rest will pay royalties established through negotiations or by copyright officials..."
"And because the music community understands that radio needs time to recover from the downturn and adjust to the payments, 90 percent of music-playing stations won't have to pay until three years after the bill becomes law..."
"Radio has a great future, but it must fairly compensate the artists and musicians whose performances are at the heart of its business. The Performance Rights Act will ensure that it does..."

Bangor Daily News
Legislation will help artists, won't hurt local radio
September 19, 2009
By Jennifer Bendall

"Over the decades, the music community has fought to change the law. It started with the Big Band leaders. Then stars like Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby pitched in. The background singers and session musicians joined the fight, too. Their argument was pretty simple: If you use our work to earn billions, we should get fair pay for airplay. Everyone's work has value and everyone's work should be rewarded..."
"Fast forward to 2009. Artists and musicians are closer than ever before to winning a radio performance right. Today, every other radio platform pays artists and musicians..."
"...A few countries don't have a radio performance right; countries like North Korea, China, Iran, Rwanda and the U.S. This is not the company we should be keeping..."
"... We do not want to hurt radio stations... So the bill has special accommodations for small, local broadcasters..."
"Because we fully understand that we are in an economic downturn, 90 percent of music radio stations in America would not make payments until three years after the bill is passed..."

Billboard
As Congress Returns From Summer Recess, Artists Must Recommit To Raising Their Voices In Washington
September 5, 2009
By Sheila E. and Alice Peacock

"...But perhaps most impressive is the momentum of the Performance Rights Act, for which we both testified on Capitol Hill. As part of the musicFIRST Coalition, the academy and nearly a dozen other music organizations have assembled hearings, events and meetings to advocate for this important legislation. The bill now has bipartisan support, is co-sponsored by eight House committee chairmen, has been approved by the House Judiciary Committee and will soon be approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Artists have wanted a performance right for 80 years and because we're standing up, standing strong and standing together, we have achieved more in the past two years than previous efforts have in the past eight decades..."
"However, there's more work to be done. More artists, songwriters, producers and engineers will need to become effective lobbyists in order to move the performance rights legislation over the finish line..."
"Now is the time for all artists, songwriters, producers and engineers-from the up-and-coming to veterans and established professionals-to take advantage of our collective power. As we make our voices louder and stronger, we can affect policy that will benefit our community for years to come..."

New York Times
Radio Free America
August 4, 2009
By Nancy Sinatra

"Songwriters and publishers are paid when their tunes are played on the radio, but none of the artists or musicians who bring the music to life receive even a penny..."
"My father, Frank Sinatra, and singers like Tony Bennett, Bing Crosby and Perry Como fought for years for performance royalties from radio stations, arguing it was unfair that performers are not paid..."
"This fight isn't just about featured artists. There are thousands of background singers and session musicians who deserve to be paid for their work, too..."
"Terrestrial radio is the only radio platform that still doesn't have to pay these royalties. Internet radio and satellite radio pay artists when they play their records, so do cable television music channels. In fact, AM and FM radio stations that stream their signal online pay performance royalties..."
"I believe in a performance royalty because recording artists and musicians from every generation deserve to be compensated for their art..."
"[My father] brought music to life with his own style just as every artist does when he takes notes and words on a page and sings or plays them in his own way. Singers and musicians, as much as songwriters, create something when they perform - and we should make sure all artists are paid when their creations are heard on the radio..."

Burlington Free Press
My Turn: Musicians just want fair radio pay
July 29, 2009
By Brian Johnson

"The truth is that music promotes radio. Raise your hand if you tune the radio dial to find the commercials..."
"We are not celebrities; we are regular folks who work hard to help provide a decent living for our families and we simply seek to be fairly compensated for our work..."
"Music is too important to our heritage and our future to stop now..."

The Centre Daily Times
Musicians deserve fair compensation
July 28, 2009
By Jennifer Bendall

"It is unfair. Everyone deserves to be paid for their work, especially when others use it to make billions..."
"We are making progress in correcting this decades-old wrong. We know this because the big corporate radio groups have ratcheted up their distortions about the Performance Rights Act. They call it a tax; it's not. They say most of the money goes to the big record labels; it doesn't. And they say that radio promotes music so they should not have to pay. But other radio platforms may have promotional value, too, and it is taken into account when setting the royalty rate, as it will be when setting a royalty rate for AM and FM radio..."
"All musicians - from aspiring singers to well-known bands - deserve to be compensated for their music when it's played on the radio..."

Detroit Free Press
Musicians only want fair pay for radio play
June 21, 2009
By Jennifer Bendall

"After all, AM and FM music radio stations earn huge advertising dollars -- $15 billion last year -- playing music. Music promotes radio!"

"Artists like Dionne Warwick, Martha Reeves, Sam Moore, Duke Fakir and Mary Wilson are leading the fight for a fair performance right on radio. They and hundreds of other artists and musicians and their unions are working with record companies big and small to right a decades-old wrong..."

"This year, AM and FM radio stations will spin almost a billion songs and again earn billions in advertising revenue without compensating the men and women who bring music to life and listeners' ears to the radio dial..."

"The bill includes special accommodations for nearly 75% of music radio stations in the country..."
"It's about fairness to artists, musicians and record labels -- fairness to other radio platforms and fairness to AM and FM radio..."

The Tennessean
Bill would make industry equitable
May 28, 2009
By U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn

"To keep the industry vital, Congress must ensure that the marketplace is equitable and that the performers who bring life to the songs we love are fairly compensated. That equity largely exists across the music industry, with the exception of over-the-air radio..."

"In an age of downloads and digital piracy, the "radio exception" is an industry outlier..."

"Sadly, the legislation's Washington-based detractors are waging a PR war over the issue, labeling the measure a "performance tax," though the government won't earn a cent from the new royalty structure..."

"Convinced that an artist shouldn't earn one penny when his song is played, detractors have let multiple opportunities at compromise pass them by. Now, they rely on fabricated accusations, convincing station owners that recognition of an artist's constitutional right to be paid will bring certain bankruptcy..."

"The Performance Rights Act will not disrupt a commercial broadcasters' opportunity to remain successful, yet will recognize the important property right that artists are due..."

"Congress will pass the Performance Rights Act and give our musicians' work the respect it deserves..."

Detroit Free Press
Artists deserve a fair fee for radio plays
May 21, 2009
By Duke Fakir

"I have joined an effort to make sure performers are paid when our music is played on the radio. Detroit's own U.S. Rep. John Conyers is our mentor and our champion. I am not surprised. He has always been there for the little guy..."

"Regrettably, some of these big radio conglomerates are preying on the fears and sensitivities of our community, suggesting that there is a level of racial bias involved. But their real concern is money -- their money. They have had free use of our music for 80 years and don't want to change. Folks should not be fooled by misinformation. It's not a racial issue. It's simply one of fair play for airplay..."

"But the big stations and ownership groups are still not happy. Their radio personalities are now saying the bill favors record companies. But the primary beneficiaries are the performers who bring music to life..."

Billboard
Radio Needs To Pay
May 16, 2009
By Jennifer Bendall

"This loophole affects not only big stars like Paul McCartney and Mariah Carey but the thousands of session musicians and vocalists who aren't compensated when radio uses their music..."

"We love radio, and we're not out to hurt small stations. That's why the Performance Rights Act will provide accommodations for a vast majority of U.S. AM and FM music stations..."

"Let's face it: There's never a wrong time to do the right thing..."

The Hill
Radio must change its tune on paying royalties to artists
March 31, 2009
By John Simson

"It's 2009 and artists are still not compensated when their music is played on the radio..."

"Here is something we can verify: In 2007, music radio stations earned $16 billion in advertising revenue. Music promotes radio!"

"Between 1998 and 2007 radio advertising revenues grew 30 percent. They fought a fair performance right on radio then, just as they do now. Circumstances have changed, but their tune is the same..."

"Members of Congress asked the radio industry to come to the table to discuss establishing a fair performance right. Their answer: No! The head of the NAB was asked if he would sit down and talk to the music community. He said he would ‘rather cut my throat than negotiate...'"

The Providence Journal
Don't let radio cheat musicians
October 23, 2008
By Daryl P. Friedman

"Artists have fought this injustice for decades with little success, until now. Leaders in this Congress have recognized the corporate radio loophole for what it is: a free pass at the expense of those who create the music that delivers terrestrial radio's profit..."

"At the Recording Academy, we take pride in recognizing the achievements of performers by honoring them with Grammy Awards. But we know accolades alone are not enough. That's why the Recording Academy is proud to be a member of the musicFIRST Coalition. To all who love to listen to your favorite songs on the radio: Support this legislation and support your members of Congress who are fighting for it..."

San Jose Mercury News
Corporate radio stations need to show musicians the money
August 7, 2008
By John Simson

"While the radio industry rakes in $16 billion a year in advertising revenue, it is not paying artists even a fraction of a penny for the use of their music. Songwriters rightfully receive compensation when radio plays their songs, but it's time artists were treated fairly as well..."

"Having been a member of the music community for over 30 years, I understand the years of hard work, dedication and creativity required for artists to get even one song played on the radio. And only a lucky few go on to lead successful music careers..."

"But what makes it more difficult is the injustice of radio using artists' music for free, a pattern that has existed for over 50 years and that adversely affects artists across the nation..."

Reno Gazette-Journal
Radio should pay to play our music
July 18, 2008
By Sam Folio

"While performers are paid royalties when their recordings are broadcast over the Internet, via satellite or on cable television, they do not receive a single penny when used on the AM/FM dial..."

"At the end of the day, the AM/FM radio spectrum belongs to the public. We've given free use of this spectrum to the radio industry, in return for which radio broadcasters are required to provide some public service to local communities. But it makes no sense for them, unique among all music services, to also receive free use of the content they use to build their business..."

The Washington Times
Airing on free use
March 7, 2008
By Dick Armey

"Those who invest their blood, sweat and tears into creating something... deserve to be compensated for their work. That's why the patent and copyright laws are specifically required by the Constitution. It's also basic market economics..."

"Thus, since its inception, the broadcast radio industry has enjoyed a baffling and unjustifiable exemption from paying the performers of music when they use their music to make a profit. And unlike Howard Roark in Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead," performers can't do anything about it..."

"How can we demand that other countries conform to market principles and enforce intellectual property rights when we allow this massive loophole in our own property rights laws?"

"It's up to the owner of the property, not the user, to decide whether the user gets it for free. If the creator wants to allow a station to play his music without compensation because the promotional value is worth it, he is free to do so. But the choice is the owner's, not the user's..."

"There is no reason not to pass these bills promptly..."

"If they build a business out of other peoples' property, they should pay for it. If performers' music is worth using, it's worth paying for - plain and simple..."

The Buffalo News
Federal Legislation Would Ensure Performers Are Paid
February 19, 2008
By Jon Topper and Mary Begley

"You may argue that artists like Mariah Carey do not need radio dollars, but what about the mid-level artists who are earning just enough to survive?"

"You don't need to be a rock star to understand the sacrifices, dedication, long hours and hard work that artists put into their music to make a living...So it's only fair that these artists are compensated when AM and FM radio uses their work to drive their advertising dollars."

"Shouldn't this multibillion dollar industry that is making money off the backs of many middle-class artists pay for the use of the recordings? We certainly think so..."

Inside Radio
Being Fair Isn't Always Easy
November 7, 2007
By John Simson

"As a leader of a performance rights organization that represents all facets of the music producing community - from indie labels and artists to background musicians and big labels - I want everyone in radio to know we value radio. We value all platforms that use our music. And we consider radio our partners. But the partnership we have should be built on fairness..."

"Most over-the-air radio is owned by big conglomerates that centralize playlists. They build multi-billion dollar businesses around artists' music. People who create that music should receive a fair portion of those revenues..."

"Small radio stations may not be able to pay like the big conglomerates, and we want to accommodate them. We hear them. We hope they hear us..."

Billboard
A Performance Royalty for Radio is Long Overdue
August 4, 2007
By Irving Azoff, Jay Cooper, Esq. And Simon Renshaw

"We all know that no one listens to radio for the commercials..."

"Radio chooses and plays music to attract listeners, which in turn, attracts advertisers, who as a result of the amount of listeners, pays radio a lot of money for that access. Thus, corporate radio has built its success on the backs of singers, musicians and background singers and musicians, but are unwilling to pay for the use of their performances..."

"While we do not know what new technology is just over the horizon, today we have the opportunity to establish the value of an artist's work whether it is broadcast over the air to our radio this afternoon or beamed to a microchip tomorrow..."

"No one doubts a good performer's talent and skill, yet corporate radio does not want to pay for it..."

"Creation of a full performance right would compensate the performers, background singers, studio musicians and copyright holders for the talent and hard work that brings music to life..."