We have come across a topic that many people don't care about or just don't happen to know about, and it's the topic of paying for music when played. Doesn't that sound like an appropriate concept in itself (until you have bought the music yourself of course).
Vote vote VOTE for the performance tax !
Major provisions of the Performance Rights Act are as follows:
- Over-the-air broadcast stations would be able to use a statutory license and make one payment annually under a rate set through negotiations or by the Copyright Royalty Board for all the music they play, instead of having to negotiate with every copyright owner for each use of music.
- The proposed legislation accommodates small broadcasters and others to assure balance and fairness to broadcasters and artists. More than 75 percent of all commercial radio stations and more than 80 percent of all religious stations would be covered through the planned accommodation.
- Small commercial stations would pay only $5,000 per year;
- 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.
- Proposed amendments to existing law would make clear that a new right for recording artists and owners cannot adversely affect the rights of, or royalties payable to, songwriters or musical work copyright owners.
Other info/coverage on this issue:
Simson, whose SoundExchange organization was spun off from the RIAA, disagreed. "This is really about the 20 percent of stations that made 80 percent of the $16 billion that broadcast radio earned in 2007, of which they paid zero to recording artists"... Wired.com
"The basic right to this performance [royalty] is irrefutable"... Wired.com
