Nancy Sinatra-Performance Royalty

[MrBern]

FYI, Nancy Sinatra wrote an Op-Ed piece expressing the need for a radio performance royalty fee for singers, as songwriters & publishers already receive royalties.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/opinion/04sinatra.html

 

[Fletch]

Wonder how (or whether) the RIAA and ASCAP are going to respond, seeing as their shpiel to the public was that mechanicals and such were going to "the artists" all along.

I imagine they'll keep pretty quiet, as they're already in a pretty deep hole with all their anti-digital efforts.

Ms. Sinatra's POV is similar to theirs in one way, though: it is focused on pre-internet modes of communication. It assumes that music is an old-media business that ought to operate in old-media ways.

All things equal, I would like artists (and not their so-called representatives) to get money for airplay, but with broadcast band radio so closely controlled these days, I don't see it happening.

Big radio might support the idea for one reason only: because it would put financial pressure on public/independent stations and limit their playlists.