Friday, April 10, 2015

'Fair Play Fair Pay' Legislation Proposed By Lawmakers

Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) along with Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-MI) will introduce "Fair Play Fair Pay Act of 2015" on Friday, legislation that would force radio broadcasters to begin paying royalties in exchange for artist airplay.

The music industry has been clamoring for such a bill since terrestrial radio is currently exempt from performance fees by compensation through promotional airplay. The bill is also expected contain a provision requiring Internet radio and satellite radio companies to begin paying artists and labels when songs recorded before 1972 are played.

Congress has considered adding a performance royalty to broadcast radio before, most recently in 2009, but that proposal and others have faced steep opposition.

 In response, NAB Executive Vice President of Communications Dennis Wharton issued the following statement:
"NAB will strongly oppose the legislation reportedly being introduced by Rep. Nadler on Monday. It is disappointing that this bill retreads years-old policy positions rather than advancing the copyright dialogue through policies that help grow the entire music ecosystem. NAB stands ready to work with Congress on a balanced music licensing proposal that promotes innovation and recognizes the benefit of our free locally-focused platform to the benefit of artists and listeners. We're pleased that, in a little over three months into the new Congress, 147 House Members and 11 Senators already agree that the fees proposed by Rep. Nadler would kill jobs, hurt artist promotion and devastate local economies across America."

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