/ 03.02.2010
Broadcasters Go to Capitol Hill

Some 400 radio and television broadcasters are in Washington for the NAB State Leadership Conference. The station representatives will meet with lawmakers on public policy issues, according to the National Association of Broadcasters.

While they will meet on an array of issues, priorities include legislation that would levy a new performance fee on radio stations and proposals circulating in Washington that support reclaiming analog broadcast TV spectrum to boost mobile broadband service.

The week's events include policy updates at the Hyatt Regency Hotel with appearances scheduled by House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Rick Boucher, D-Va., House Commerce Committee Chairman Emeritus John Dingell, D-Mich. and Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga. Broadcast representatives will meet with their lawmakers in a series of meetings on Wednesday.

A primary concern of radio broadcasters is The Performance Rights Act, a bill supported by the major record labels that would levy a second fee on radio stations for every song aired. Fifty percent of the new fee would be paid directly to record labels, according to NAB, which says 256 House lawmakers and 27 senators are opposed.

Television broadcasters, NAB said, will talk to lawmakers understand about ramifications of proposals to reclaim analog TV spectrum.



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Posted by: Anonymous
Sun, 03-07-2010 - 3:25PM Report Comment
Have the legislators that support the Performance Rights Tax ever stopped to think that maybe the RECORDING INDUSTRY are the ones that should be responsible for fully compensating recording artists for their works? After all, RECORDING LABELS are the ones that negotiated the original contracts with the artists. Shouldn't that put them in the position of being responsible for any deficiencies in the levels of compensation due the artists for their work? Could it be that this perspective is not being explored because this is not REALLY about compensating the ARTISTS anyway? Has anyone on the Hill stopped to think that the RECORDING INDUSTRY might be using starving ARTISTS as fronts to shake down free public radio, and inevitability, the listeners of public radio? I'm just saying...




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