No Word On The GMR Deal

We reached out to Bill Velez at The Radio Music Licensing Committee on Monday and asked him whether enough radio stations signed the deal with GMR to make it stick. He could not provide an answer other than to say stations were still signing on.

We also reached out to GMR to see if this deal was done. They did not respond.

Radio stations had until the end of the day yesterday to sign the offer the RMLC and GMR worked out. If a “sufficient” percentage of radio stations do not sign the deal, it would be nixed for all stations. Some of the bigger radio companies had already signed a side deal to pay GMR to air their artists.

If approved, rates will be different for each station or company. The RMLC had been strongly encouraging stations to consider the settlement offer because it will give them rate certainty.

The Radio Music Licensing Committee has been fighting with Irving Azoff’s GMR for five years over performing rights for artists on the GMR roster.

As the litigation continued radio stations had been offered short-term deals with GMR so they could continue airing artists such as Drake, Bruce Springsteen, Bruno Mars, the Eagles, and Smokey Robinson.

The GMR contracts are for 4 years with the possibility to extend another 3 years.
The RMLC and GMR have reached a conditional settlement agreement which would end the lawsuits.

Both GMR’s and RMLC’s Boards of Directors have voted to approve the conditional settlement, which requires GMR to offer commercial radio stations a negotiated, long-term license agreement that begins on April 1, 2022.

And, GMR has not made any commitment to offer any other license to radio stations after
the current interim license expires on March 31, 2022. That means, if this settlement fails and the litigation continues, there is no guarantee GMR will make another license available to stations at all.