Complaint says top musician dissed over royalties

[indeedido]

Complaint says top musician dissed over royalties - Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090610/ap_on_go_ot/us_radio_royalties_no_play)

Complaint says top musician dissed over royalties


WASHINGTON – Which top-selling artist purportedly had his new single yanked from some radio stations playlists in retaliation for supporting royalties for musicians?

No one involved will name the recording artist, but his no-play treatment by several radio stations is alleged in a complaint filed with the Federal Communications Commission and obtained by The Associated Press. It claims recording artists are being threatened and intimidated.

In the filing, the musicFIRST Coalition says the top-selling artist — there are hints it could be U2 frontman Bono — recently released a new album and spoke during April in support of an effort to require radio stations to pay musicians royalties similar to those paid to songwriters.

Soon after, it said, "several stations within a major radio broadcast group notified the artist's label that they would no longer play his single on the air."

Representatives for musicFIRST refused to identify the artist. The complaint said artists asked to remain unidentified "to protect against further reprisal."

U2's album, "No Line on the Horizon," was released in March with its leadoff single, "Get on Your Boots."

In April, Bono issued a statement on behalf of pay for musicians, saying, "It's only fair that when radio makes money by playing a recording artist's music ... the recording artist should be compensated just as songwriters are already."

Calls and e-mails to a spokeswoman for Bono were not immediately returned.

The National Association of Broadcasters, which represents about 6,500 radio stations nationwide, denied any attempt by stations to retaliate or intimidate artists. A statement by NAB Executive Vice President Dennis Wharton called the complaint a "stunt" and said artists who support royalties, such as will.i.am, get great play on the radio.

His group Black Eyed Peas is "currently Number 1 on Billboard's Pop 100 Airplay Chart with the song 'Boom Boom Pow,'" said the statement. The single was distributed in May, and the group's new album, "Behind the Front," was first distributed in June.

The filing by musicFIRST also alleges unfair treatment of other artists by radio stations in Florida, Delaware and Texas. It does not identify any of the stations but accuses them of unlawfully putting their own financial interests above their obligation to serve the public. The group asks the FCC, which regulates the public airwaves, to investigate.

The controversy centers on legislation in Congress that would require radio stations to pay musicians royalties. Satellite radio, Internet radio and cable TV music channels already pay fees to performers and musicians, along with songwriter royalties. AM and FM radio stations just pay songwriters, not performers.

The NAB opposes the bill, called the Performance Rights Act. The group says it amounts to a tax on U.S. radio stations and threatens thousands of jobs.

The filing by musicFIRST, made late Tuesday, also said:

_A Delaware radio station boycotted all artists affiliated with musicFIRST for an entire month.

_Before an interview, an artist was pressured by a Texas radio station to state on the air that the Performance Rights Act would cripple radio stations.

Other artists involved with musicFIRST include Don Henley, Celine Dion, Christina Aguilera and Wyclef Jean

[indeedido]

Without radio, pop bands like U2 sell 250,000 units. Why bite the hand that feeds? Radio pay you royalties? Without radio, you make jack shit. Without radio you become an indie artist, ask them how many albums they sell.

[sonrisa salvaje]

Without radio, pop bands like U2 sell 250,000 units. Why bite the hand that feeds? Radio pay you royalties? Without radio, you make jack shit. Without radio you become an indie artist, ask them how many albums they sell.


Good point, despite what (I'm Still) Standin thinks. It seems to me that radio is free publicity.

[Kristy]

In April, Bono issued a statement on behalf of pay for musicians, saying, "It's only fair that when radio makes money by playing a recording artist's music ... the recording artist should be compensated just as songwriters are already."

Back when studying journalism I remember vaguely hearing something about radio stations are already contractually liable to pay royalties to artist if that artist is in return making the radio station money to retain that particular artists airplay. Think of it as a give and take situation and one of the main reasons why radio is such shit these days. Of course radio is going to put their own finical interest in the forefront seeing that they get paid before the artist ever does. Strange name, this "musicFIRST" as if they believe that radio is the main vehicle for people's listening habits in these technological times. I wonder, have hey heard of the term "downloading"?

And how does one intimidate the ego of Bono anyway? Threaten to take of his bug shades and not give them back? But it's also interesting how the new U2 record came under a sudden and mysterious death with all the heavy promotion it was fronting at the time of its release. My personal belief is that it SUCKED and U2 couldn't sound any more tired and dated with the listening public (even hardcore U2 fans) want to hear something new with all the avenues before them. Again, can you say "downloading"? Maybe the return investment Bono and his clan were hoping for never arrived in the amount(s) of airplay royalty they were shooting for? Otherwise, why is he acting like a bitch when many an artist (i.e., SONGWRITERS) before him have also been shafted by radio?

File away with the FCC, musicFIRST. I'm sure they'll take your complaint seriously. Radio serving the public has little to do with what artist gets paid or not. Much as it pains me to say so radio is a business and like any business it lives or dies by the profit it makes not by forcing their listeners to aggrandize the likes of U2.

Seems a bit fishy to me as if Bono and his lawyers revamped the rules of radio royalty payment by changing the language of the publishing rights and didn't inform anyone until now. Or maybe I'm looking at this all wrong. That paying the artist is their last resort of attaining that indoor swimming pool and Ferrari in the garage with all the illegal downloading, P2P file sharing and CD copying going on cutting into their album sale dividends.

Even if that is the case it still makes little sense. There was brilliant article in Rolling Stone a few years back about how out of the estimated 85,000 new releases of every genre of music in one year less then 4,000 are considered for radio play and out of that less then 200 are brought to the desk of station program managers and out of that less than 20-25 receive any air time. Radio is not going to survive (and that's a bad thing...?) if they pay each artist individually over the songwriter but hey, this is Bono's ego we're talking about here.

[sadaist]

Radio play is what every band strives for. Now they want to get paid for it? Sounds like they're just trying to make up for lost profits from cd sales since everything is download now. I knew several garage type bands in my younger days, and basically the ladder of success starts with back-yard parties, small social events, local dive bar on a Wednesday night, possibly getting into a battle of the bands somewhere, better bars on Fri & Sat nights, burn a 4 song tape to sell at said shows,....and if you were REALLY lucky, the local station would play one of your songs during lunch hour budding artist segment. That was the pinnacle of success and a huge honor.

There are so many songs to choose from that if certain bands require payment for radio play, they should be dropped off the rotation for someone who is thrilled to have their songs heard.