From AllAccess.com

Musicians ranging from WILL.I.AM to EMMYLOU HARRIS and SHERYL CROW gathered for a different kind of performance on TUESDAY, pushing for legislation to require radio stations to pay royalties to musicians when the stations play their songs, reports THE TENNESSEAN. PATTI LABELLE, known for the hit "Lady Marmalade," said she was "pimped" for the nearly half-century during which she wasn't paid royalties.

"I never thought I'd be standing here asking for my money," LA BELLE said.

She made her comments in a House office building room filled with music stars, their agents, industry executives, reporters and legislative staffers looking to catch a glimpse or get an autograph.

"This is not a partisan issue; this is a fairness issue," TENNESSEE Representative MARSHA BLACKBURN said at the news conference. "They own that creation. Let's honor their good works and creativity."

On the other side of the debate is the radio industry, which has its own group called the FREE RADIO ALLIANCE. Station owners argue that radio play acts as free promotion for the musicians and that many smaller stations would be forced out of business if they had to pay royalties.

A House resolution opposing the fees is signed by 125 lawmakers.

"The notion that radio is somehow harming property rights is silly," alliance spokeswoman CATHY ROUGHT said in a statement. "The artist is in essence an employee of the label and is supposed to be paid by the label."

How do u guys feel about this?

Well I hardly listen to the radio anymore so I'm for the artists getting their royalties.

I could care less about radio these days but why would they go after radio and not youtube. I was just wondering what would be the difference.

wonder505 said:

Probably not much... plus the artists can actually work YouTube to their benefit making their channels and posting their music and music videos so it won't be just taken out like random videos do. You can't just tell radio to air your song because it's likely to play a hip-hop song over your adult urban contemporary or pop song.
[Edited 2/25/09 11:49am]
[Edited 2/25/09 11:50am]

The artists is just as much a part of a song being a hit as the songwriter, so I think it's totally fair. Perhaps a separate royalty for songwriter and performer.

But it's complicated. What about a big band. Does a horn player get the same royalty as lead singer? Or what about a band vs. solo artist? Does Beyonce get the whole royalty or the band, too--like U2's would probably be split equally.

NDRU said:

I think this is just for the solo artists. Groups and big bands probably do get split equally. I think the Motown groups get paid equally for performance royalties every time their songs are played on the radio though it's probably not as much as songwriters' and producers'.

Graycap23 said:

Well there is alot more to this battle than people are letting on to. Artists that get played, get paid, IF, they write the songs, thats the elephant in the room that no one is speaking on. The way the deal was set up long ago was that the songwriter gets paid, becuase back in the day, alot more people wrote. Why does everyone think that Beyonce's pops manipulates his way to get her on writing credits, i mean, he knows she's gonna get played, so he wants her to get paid, even if all she writes in a song is "where they at, where they at"

BlaqueKnight said:

This debate over the radioplay issue has been going on forever, long before this collapse of the industry, which really isnt a collapse, people just let it get taken over by business majors and accountants because all they wanted was "their MTV" well look what you got. The airplay issue has been fought over for a long time and now artists that just sing and write nothing want a piece for the most part. Artists like SHeryl Crow and Will I Am are just kicking up some trouble because it makes them look ,more noble, but this law, for the most part wont mean a dime more or less for them.

BlaqueKnight said:

It's BEEN doomed, dude. The industry's been fucking up since the late '80s, lol.

lastdecember said:

And that's the unfortunate part for them. Even though I like the stance, it ain't gonna work. Might as well deal with it. Poor Patti, she should've wrote, lol.

Next thing you know everyone is going to want to get paid fairly for their goods and services.
what the fucks wrong with them.

Anybody know a good site where i can download my rent money.
[Edited 2/25/09 18:41pm]

Graycap23 said:

The "free promotion" is a strong argument.
However, where it all breaks down (based on the current "skinny" playlists of terrestrial radio) is that there are only 10-20 artists getting this freebie.

Maybe these performers should learn how to write a song, then they'd receive the "Performance Royalty" which is paid to the songwriter(s) based on the station logs.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

theAudience said:

RIGHT!
Hell, I mean don't they already get millions of dollars performing on stage? Or at least thousands? This is what happens when you DON'T have talent as a writer and you complain once the money runs dry.

Dionne Warwick has had problems paying her taxes and she was speaking at the thing, Patti LaBelle was complaining about the Civic Center and stepping on cockroaches with her bare feet... when's the last time Sheryl Crow made a splash with her latest albums?

Think before you think you're doing the right thing. I wonder how many performers are actually complaining about this? Where's the Motown artists? The Stax artists? Where they at? If they're not there, oh well!

Here's some pictures I found where they were at Congress:









By the way, WHO LISTENS TO RADIO ANYMORE!
[Edited 2/25/09 18:43pm]

Timmy84 said:

Ha, Gordy screwed pretty much every artist or group that didn't write or co-write their shit. The royalty rate he gave his artists was apparantly awful.

thesexofit said:

So I heard, lol.

You mean to tell me they couldn't ask record companies to pay them more than what they don't get? To be honest, the music of Dionne and Patti I hardly hear on the radio stations anymore. If the bill got passed, it would've sent independent radio stations down and commercial radio stations may not even play the successful artists in protest. I'm just waiting on hearing news that the RIAA are asking for a bailout from Congress, lol.

Iam surprised that this wasn't law in the US years ago. Iam pretty positive radio royalties exist in the UK? Maybe the US is so God damn big compared to the UK, its hard to govern?

thesexofit said:

Who knows?

So you support this, I assume?

Timmy84 said:

Yep. Songwriters should get more then the singer, if said singer didn't write it though. But as lastdecember touched upon, Iam sure alot of people manipulate songwriting credits, just to get a piece of the pie. Infact, its been going on since recording began. Don't alot of modern rnb songs have about 5 or 6 writers? Stupid as then you gotta split that 6 ways I presume?

I know Dylan, Jacko and Neil Diamond get some of the highest royalty rates in the business. All on Sony bytheway
[Edited 2/25/09 19:39pm]

thesexofit said:

I see. I can see both sides of the equation of arguments about how this is a good/bad idea. Who knows? Maybe it WILL benefit, I don't know... but hey we got YouTube so that's promotion right there. I just hope they don't go for that next... I know someone is gonna say that ("yeah wait until they see their music on IMEEM!")

But you're right, people do be scheming ways to get paid through acting as the front man of a possible ghost writer...

Timmy84 said:

Iam pretty sure Chuck Berry got screwed. Something along the lines of "if you dont put my name on the credits, you ain't releasing that record" sorta thing

thesexofit said:

Fuckin' Alan Freed and Leonard Chess got ALL his publishings... weird thing is he's not on that list of artists who support the bill here:

http://www.musicfirstcoal...g-artists/

One Vandella and one Supreme, lol. And no Temptations member (nope not even Otis Williams or the estates of late members).