On the heels of the NAB’s announcement that it had secured 115 signatures for its Local Radio Freedom Act, musicFIRST Coalition Executive Director Chris Israel is mocking the organization. In a statement posted to the organization’s website, Israel said, “Big Radio is rolling out the exact same non-binding resolution, defending the same government subsidy they have been protecting for decades.”
Israel went on to say that crony capitalism and big government subsidies seem to be on their way out, but Big Radio is asking Congress to once again protect it from the free market – a free market where every other music platform compensates artists for the music that drives their business. He added that Congress will see the NAB’s resolution for what it is — a P.R. play by Big Radio.
Here’s more from the Israel statement: “The last six Administrations of both parties have supported performance rights and fair pay for music creators. A new Trump Administration focused on American competitiveness and draining the swamp will find a great target in eliminating Big Radio’s decades-old subsidy. This, combined with momentum on copyright reform and performance rights for music creators in Congress, creates a historic opportunity during the 115th Congress for the U.S. to finally update our copyright laws to treat music creators the same, regardless of how consumers choose to listen to their work. It’s time for the U.S. to join every other industrialized nation and make Big Radio operate in a free market like all their competitors. Most importantly, it is finally time that America’s talented artists and musicians are rewarded for their work.”
Once again, “big radio” is already paying a royalty to American labels that have chosen to negotiate. The big labels, Universal and Sony, refuse. They want big government to institute a new right. If they want a royalty, all they have to do is come to the table, but they refuse. Everyone in Congress knows this. This guy really needs to do his homework and stop making radio the enemy.
Memo to musicFirst: “America’s talented artists and musicians are rewarded for their work” via free promotion for their music coming from local radio stations. That’s free exposure worth a couple of billion of dollars annually. Thankfully, members of Congress understand that musicFirst’s proposal would transfer hundreds of millions of dollars from hometown radio stations in the U.S. to offshore record labels. That’s why they are supporting the Local Radio Freedom Act.