The Executive Director of the musicFIRST Coalition blasted out an e-mail yesterday that took several shots at radio. As the NAB continues to add signatures to the Local Radio Freedom Act, Israel and musicFIRST are pushing Congress to mandate that radio pay artists directly in order to play their music.
Radio and the music industry have had a lifelong understanding that the amount of promotion and air-play radio provides their artists is a fair trade for playing their music. And its the kind of promotion a streaming service could never provide.
So we suggest someone slip Israel a 2018 CRS ticket because if he was in Nashville last week he would have heard over and over how important it is to artists when they hear their songs being played on the radio. Or, how hard they work just so they can get their song heard on the radio. (Give a listen to Lauren Alaina’s latest release called “Three.“) Israel would have heard record label executives say how important it is for their artists to be heard on Country radio stations all over the country. He would have heard Director of Amazon Music Ryan Redington say when it comes to new music, radio is such a large promotional vehicle for a streaming service. “When consumers hear a song on the radio that makes them want to listen to it on a streaming service.”
And despite the fact that Nielsen consistently touts that over 90% of the country is still tuning in to radio on a weekly basis, Israel continues to opine that listeners are turning off their radios. “Music fans are increasingly tuning out radio in favor of SiriusXM or streaming services like Pandora or Spotify that offer more access to more music without the endless commercials and repetitive songs typically found on the FM dial.”
Israel says the radio industry is “trying to protect the subsidies they get from Washington, D.C., that keep them from paying working artists when they play their music on the air and sell it for millions in advertising profits.” Israel says, “SiriusXM and streaming services pay artists. Big Radio doesn’t. Big Radio shouldn’t get to play by a different set of rules.”
His point from the e-mail: He wants his followers to tell Congress to treat all music platforms the same and “Say ‘No!’ to Big Radio.”
Another reason to get with your member of Congress and make sure they have signed onto the Local Radio Freedom Act.
“streaming services like Pandora or Spotify that offer more access to more music without the endless commercials and repetitive songs typically found on the FM dial.” Really? Listening to Octane on SiriusXM, I heard more song repetition than any Terrestrial Rock station I’ve listened to in ten years…
“Subsidies”? What an idiot. I’m in market 249 & my three stations PAY over $6K yearly when No-Neck & Three Fingered Louie from the FCC come by to collect their “insurance” regulatory fees. With Cumulus and I-Hurt racing towards bankruptcy court, these folks need to realize it is not 1970 anymore. The money isn’t there to pay four composers rights groups. And it certainly isn’t there to pay another layer or two of groups seeking performance rights.
We need to pay one agency like Sound Exchange and let all the competing rights groups argue with them to get their cut.