Editorial
Musicians Fighting Back Against Big Radio for Performance Royalties
4
IMC Magazine Staff
Mark Lamdanski - Editor
Carol Riordan - Lead Editor/Design
Kiva Johns-Adkins - Contributor of Behind the Music
Diana Barnes - Contributor of INN a New York Minute
Beth Fedornak - Guest Writer
Carlos Gnipp - Conributor
Randy Skaggs - Contributor
(NewsUSA) - Americans can listen to the radio via AM/FM, Internet, satellite, or cable TV. The music is the same, but payments to the artists are not. Internet radio pays musicians a small amount, but AM/FM radio pays them nothing.
Most experts agree that this policy doesn't fit the digital era, and many musicians say that it hurts performers and will continue to adversely affect the music industry.
"When many of us think of the song, 'Respect,' we think of Aretha Franklin," notes David Byrne of the Talking Heads. "Many people are shocked to learn that Aretha never made a penny from all the radio broadcasts of her performance. Many musicians receive little compensation or struggle to pay bills despite having widely-aired recordings."
Musician Sheryl Crow adds, "Dionne Warwick does not get paid for her beautiful recordings when they are played on the radio. She had to file for bankruptcy."
Artists' advocates, such as MusicFIRST, point out that AM/FM radio earns billions of dollars a year selling ads to listeners while musicians struggle to make ends meet.
A growing number of top stars including Rosanne Cash, Elvis Costello, Cyndi Lauper, Imogen Heap, Common, Elton John, and R.E.M., are taking the fight to Washington. Several of these artists helped launch the Fair Play, Fair Pay Act, bipartisan legislation that would pay musicians the same royalties no matter what kind of radio uses their work.
By Mark Lamdanski
Editor