http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2454527/posts
Performance Rights Act (Introduced in House) HR 848 IH JOHN CONYERS
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.848:
Stop the Radio Tax
http://www.noperformancetax.com/registration/register.aspx
Proposed Performance Tax Could Be Black Radio’s Death Knell
http://www.blackamericaweb.com/?q=articles/news/the_state_of_black_america_news/9299
Broadcasters: Act now to defeat a proposed tax that could kill local radio as we know it.
Performance Right Act Reintroduced To Congress
http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3i040c1ac9536ad53cd5b20962dcf8d5b8
But radio station owners, with the the National Assn. of Broadcasters leading the fight, oppose the bill. "Local radio broadcasters consider this fee a 'performance tax' that will not only harm your local radio stations, but will threaten new artists trying to break into the business as well as your constituents who rely on local radio," NAB president and CEO David Rehr, said in a statment. "Although the proponents of H.R. 848 claim this bill is about compensating artists, in actuality at least half of this fee will go directly into the pockets of the big record labels, funneling billions of dollars to companies based overseas." Three of the four largest record label conglomerates -- Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and EMI -- are internationally-based. "Although the big record labels have seen their revenues decline over the last decade, local radio broadcasters are not the reason the recording industry is losing money, and it should not be the industry to fix it," he added.
NAB said a measure opposing today's Congressional action is expected to be introduced shortly.
Likewise the Radio Free Alliance said, "Congressman Conyers' re-introduction of a performance tax bill on local radio is disappointing, especially since the bill doesn't reflect the views of the majority of his colleagues. Last year, the more than 226 members of Congress stood with local radio in opposing any measure that would tax local radio to benefit the big, foreign-owned labels. Especially in the dire economic times we all face, any measure which will threaten the family-supporting jobs of more than 125,000 people employed by radio, the more than $6 billion in local community support of non-profit and service organizations, and the ability to introduce more diversity in station ownership is a short-sighted approach and bad public policy."
But the proposed legislation accommodates small broadcasters, public and religious radio stations, according to a musicFirst press release. For example, small commercial stations would pay only $5,000 per year; while noncommercial stations such as NPR and college radio stations would pay only $1,000 per year; stations that make only incidental uses of music, such as "talk radio stations, would not pay for that music; and Religious services that are broadcast on radio would be completely exempt."
Where the money would go: Nielsen SoundScan reported that the big four accounted for 81.87% of the US music market in 2005: Universal Music (France) owns 32 percent of the market; Sony (Japan) owns 26 percent of the market; EMI (UK) owns 10 percent of the market; Warner Music (US) owns 15 percent of the market. The rest are independents. So the question is, how much was Conyers paid for this legislation that would send these enormous amounts of American money abroad, while bankrupting US radio stations?
Who knew there was music worth listening to now days.
Here I thought the radio was a great advertising avenue to get these artists’ latest recording out there for the public. This tax will bring on more talk radio. With less advertising, the artists will suffer but so be it.
So lefty radio gets its music practically free?
well even FM stations now are going all-talk or all-sports, so they should be careful what they wish for
I saw something on public TV about how musicians get sampled by other artists, including Clyde Stubblefield, “the funky drummer”. Should he get re-imbursed when someone samples him?
So Rush and Glenn take voice lessons and sing their shows...or have a choir do so. Really long singing parodies.
How bad is the Obama administration?
Even liberal rock stars think the tax hikes are going too far.....
Treat music just like advertising, if you want me to advertise your music by playing it on my station, no problem, pay me.
It’s not just money, running local independent stations out of business would also limit the venues for talk radio shows. The only alternative to the big corporate communications machine that is controlled by the left.