Blogs N' Roses Goes to Congress
That's right Blogs N' Roses is schooling you in a major bill going on in Congress right now. The House of Representatives has decided to hold hearings on terrestrial radio vs. artists. The bill is entitled the Performance Rights Act. (proof).
Currently, terrestrial radio does not pay the artists for their work, only the songwriters. This becomes a problem when you are Courtney Love and Billy Corgan writes all your songs. Corgan gets the royalties and you get Zanax to calm your ass down.
Terrestrial radio has advertisers that basically foot the bill so you can hear AC/DC's Rock N Roll train 18 times a day. It might cost the radio station $400,000 dollars a day in royalties, but they are making two million a day in advertising. (These are round figures and not indicative of industry average).
Well, your old friends at the RIAA and Music FIRST Coalition are not happy about this. They want "Fair pay for air play" and a cut of that advertising dollar because they are greedy. Music FIRST sent Billy Corgan to Washington to make his case for artists' rights. (His entire transcript can be read at the Chicago Sun-Times). He was coherent and a made a compelling argument.
RIAA CEO, Music FIRST member, and likely son of Satan, Mitch Bainwol made his case for passing the Performance Rights Act according to Coolfer,
“First, broadcasters currently pay nothing to performers but collect billions in revenue. Second, the U.S. is unique in that it does not pay the royalty, and other platforms other than terrestrial pay the royalty. Third, more than half of songs played on radio are oldies. Promotional value is not as great as it used to be. Fourth, the bill focuses on big, corporate radio. Eighty percent of stations in the U.S. are accommodated. Fifth, the issue is not about transferring money to record labels.”
So what could this legislation mean for you, John Q Public? Jack shit, unless you advertise on terrestrial radio. If you do, your fees will probably increase (potentially double).
But don't think the RIAA has the best interest of the artist in mind. It is about the almighty dollar and if given the chance they will slaughter your children if they thought those children bled money. The RIAA seem to be on the side of the artists right now, but somehow the record company wants a cut of that profit terrestrial radio is reaping....especially now that cd sales are down and the labels are struggling to find a new business model.
Those artists are slaves and puppets, when it should be the other way around. The label needs them now more than the artists need them, thanks to the internet. But that topic has been covered a lot on this website.
Instead, if you are an unsigned band, fuck those labels. You don't need them. Send us a copy of your EP and will review it for free. We do accept fellatio and rusty trombones as valid payment. You will get the benefits of our website's reach and kick ass writing ability. Act now while supplies last.
Currently, terrestrial radio does not pay the artists for their work, only the songwriters. This becomes a problem when you are Courtney Love and Billy Corgan writes all your songs. Corgan gets the royalties and you get Zanax to calm your ass down.
Terrestrial radio has advertisers that basically foot the bill so you can hear AC/DC's Rock N Roll train 18 times a day. It might cost the radio station $400,000 dollars a day in royalties, but they are making two million a day in advertising. (These are round figures and not indicative of industry average).
Well, your old friends at the RIAA and Music FIRST Coalition are not happy about this. They want "Fair pay for air play" and a cut of that advertising dollar because they are greedy. Music FIRST sent Billy Corgan to Washington to make his case for artists' rights. (His entire transcript can be read at the Chicago Sun-Times). He was coherent and a made a compelling argument.
RIAA CEO, Music FIRST member, and likely son of Satan, Mitch Bainwol made his case for passing the Performance Rights Act according to Coolfer,
“First, broadcasters currently pay nothing to performers but collect billions in revenue. Second, the U.S. is unique in that it does not pay the royalty, and other platforms other than terrestrial pay the royalty. Third, more than half of songs played on radio are oldies. Promotional value is not as great as it used to be. Fourth, the bill focuses on big, corporate radio. Eighty percent of stations in the U.S. are accommodated. Fifth, the issue is not about transferring money to record labels.”
So what could this legislation mean for you, John Q Public? Jack shit, unless you advertise on terrestrial radio. If you do, your fees will probably increase (potentially double).
But don't think the RIAA has the best interest of the artist in mind. It is about the almighty dollar and if given the chance they will slaughter your children if they thought those children bled money. The RIAA seem to be on the side of the artists right now, but somehow the record company wants a cut of that profit terrestrial radio is reaping....especially now that cd sales are down and the labels are struggling to find a new business model.
Those artists are slaves and puppets, when it should be the other way around. The label needs them now more than the artists need them, thanks to the internet. But that topic has been covered a lot on this website.
Instead, if you are an unsigned band, fuck those labels. You don't need them. Send us a copy of your EP and will review it for free. We do accept fellatio and rusty trombones as valid payment. You will get the benefits of our website's reach and kick ass writing ability. Act now while supplies last.
Maybe if the RIAA & record companies wouldn't be in such dire straits if they actually focused on adapting to new technologies instead of hiring more lawyers, suing customers, and attempting to squeeze more money out of declining distribution media like terrestrial radio. What a bunch of jackwads.