Recording artists voiced their opposition to the Internet Radio Fairness...
Recording artists voiced their opposition to the Internet Radio Fairness Act (HR-6480, S-3609) because they said it would cut their royalty payments in order to line the pockets of webcasters like Pandora. The 125 artists, representing a broad spectrum of…
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musical groups including Blondie, Common, Journey, Rush and the Dead Kennedys, urged lawmakers to return to the drawing board. Their comments came in an open letter to be published in this weekend’s Billboard magazine. Advocates of the legislation said the bill is aimed at aligning the differing broadcast platform royalty payments under the Copyright Act 801(b) standard, which is used to establish rates for cable and satellite radio services (CD Sept 24 p1). But the musicFIRST coalition and SoundExchange said in a joint press release Wednesday that the legislation could slash royalties paid to artists by as much as 85 percent for songs played over Internet radio. “We all want Internet radio to succeed, but it won’t if it tries to do so on the backs of hard working musicians and singers,” said musicFIRST coalition Executive Director Ted Kalo. The coalition includes the Recording Industry Association of America, the American Association of Independent Music and the American Federation of Musicians. “It is important that we protect artists and the long-term value of their music, which is, after all, the foundation of Internet radio,” said Michael Huppe, president of SoundExchange.