Tired of Big Radio’s static? Tune into the truth…

Broadcasters have conveniently used a bad economy to justify their refusal to pay performers for use of their music to make billions in advertising dollars (as if the economy ever excuses anyone from paying for use of someone else’s property). A few months back, NAB’s spokesman conveniently claimed “the worst advertising recession since the Great Depression” to assess the financial prospects of radio conglomerates.http://www.nab.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=News_room&CONTENTID=14315&TEM...

THE FACTS: Good news! Radio Business Reports paints a pretty rosy picture for the future of radio. According to RBR, “10 of the radio stocks that we track have doubled in value or more (in some cases, much more) through the first three quarters of 2009…. The RBR Radio Index was up 291.7% through Q3 to a level not seen since October 2007” http://www.rbr.com/features/intel_briefs/17584.html. Looks like broadcasters can now afford to do the right thing. But just to make sure, The Performance Rights Act provides a three year delay for the start of payments (one year for stations making more than $5 million) to enable radio to transition out of the current economic downturn. Three more years of an 80-plus year free pass from compensating others for use of their work. Things are really looking up for broadcasters – and those who create the music that establishes their business.

For more information on the musicFIRST coalition and the Performance Rights Act, please visitwww.musicFIRSTcoalition.org