Interesting Idea

I've been on both sides of the fence on this perfomer-royalty issue. Yes it's unfair that performers don't get paid by radio (only songwriters and music publishers do), but it's also true that radio offers free advertising by playing the music. It's how most people have discovered new music for the past 90 years. This is a new approach. From this morning's Tom Taylor NOW Column...

“PROMOTE” bill would let musicians “opt out of airplay.” It’s a fresh take on the performance royalty stalemate, says House Intellectual Property Subcommittee Darrell Issa – The PROMOTE Act (for “Performance Royalty Owners of Music Opportunity to Earn Act of 2017”) “calls the bluff on both sides in the debate over performance rights.” Artists who “feel they’re not being appropriately compensated” could “opt out of allowing broadcasters to play their music.” As it is now, stations have basically everything available for airplay. They pay music publishers and song owners through not-for-profit ASCAP and BMI, and through for-profit SESAC and Global Music Rights. But not performers, as such. The new H.R. 1914, introduced by California Republican Issa and fellow subcommittee member Ted Deutsch (D-FL) would give performers more control. The Tennessean’s Nate Rau says “Hits by Taylor Swift, Drake, Adele or Miranda Lambert would be taken down, if their record labels choose to do so.” Here’s co-sponsor Ted Deutsch - “We have been told for years that AM/FM radio provides valuable promotion to recording artists, but those artists have never been given the opportunity to decide for themselves.” As you can imagine, this isn’t the NAB’s favorite new piece of legislation.