 House Subcommittee Votes Yes On Royalty Bill Jun 26, 2008 READ MORE  Nancy Sinatra beats the drum for radio royalties By Jim Puzzanghera Jun 12, 2008 READ MORE Bill Looks To Make Radio Stations Pay Royalties By Brooks Boliek Dec 21, 2007 READ MORE Senators Take On Performance Right Debate By Susan Butler Nov 13, 2007 READ MORE Clear Channel Revises Indie Contract By Susan Butler Jul 20, 2007 READ MORE MUSICFIRST ARTISTS UNITE ON HILL: MusicFIRST To Lobby Congress On Performance Royalties By Susan Butler Jun 23, 2007 READ MORE Labels, Artists Move For Terrestrial Performance Right By Susan Butler May 9, 2007 READ MORE Performers Want More Than Air Time By Kate Ackley Apr 23, 2007 READ MORE FCC hearing draws stars, activists By Ryan Underwood Dec 12, 2006 READ MORE Control of Media Gets A New Airing By Bob Keefe Oct 5, 2006 READ MORE
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FMQB A U.S. House subcommittee passed a bill Thursday that would require radio stations to pay royalties to artists for playing their music. The Performance Rights Act passed on voice vote in the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property. The next step for the bill is a vote by the full Judiciary Committee. It is possible, but unlikely, that the bill will reach the House floor this year, according to a Dow Jones report. Meanwhile, opponents point out that the apparent unanimity of the subcommittee only hides the true opposition in the full committee and the House. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), which is fighting the legislation, has support from a majority of House members who said they will block it. "Today's vote comes as a complete non-surprise, given the House IP Subcommittee's history of support for the RIAA-backed tax on local radio stations," said NAB EVP Dennis Wharton. "Despite today's action, there remains broad bipartisan resistance to the RIAA tax from members of Congress who question whether a punitive fee on America's hometown radio stations should be used to bail out the failing business model of foreign-owned record labels." The musicFIRST Coalition, which supports the performance royalty for artists, also released a statement. "Subcommittee passage of H.R. 4789 is a major victory for America's artists and musicians and a major triumph for fundamental fairness," said Executive Director Doyle Bartlett. "We applaud Representatives Howard Berman and Darrell Issa and the members of the subcommittee for their hard work on this bill. With their leadership and support we have made significant progress toward creating a fair performance right on radio. But we still have a long way to go." As of now, the bill caps performance royalties at $5,000 per year for radio stations with less than $1.25 million in annual revenue. Rep. Berman (D-CA), who chairs the subcommittee, said he wants lawmakers to consider "a sliding scale" payment for smaller radio stations. "The broadcasters have refused to acknowledge that there may be a sum above zero that they are willing to pay," he said, according to Dow Jones, adding that he would "love to have a discussion" with the broadcasters about a reasonable payment. Before the full committee votes on the bill, Berman said he wants to work on language that would more closely tie the size of royalty payments to the size of radio stations. |
