JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum Recording artist get behind this

https://p2a.co/KEdX9mO Get paid for your work.

I edited their letter, whoever they are:

I urge you to examine the Ask Musicians for Music (AMFM) Act of 2019 to see that it does what it purports to do.

For almost one hundred years, American radio broadcasters have been exploiting music creators by refusing to pay performers for the use of their work in creating Intellectual Property (IP). This injustice has gone on for so long because U.S. copyright has consistently failed to provide performers with a basic property right in their music.

The Ask Musicians For Music (AM FM) Act of 2019 (H.R.5219 / S.2932), introduced by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), purports to right this wrong by requiring radio broadcasters to get consent from recording artists and copyright owners before transmitting their Intellectual Property recordings over the air.

The AM FM Act doesn’t set a government rate or make a judgment of the economics for either party. It simply corrects an imbalance of power and sets the table for real marketplace negotiations.

Requiring radio to pay for Sound Recordings ensures they are playing by the same modern rules that apply to all other music platforms. SiriusXM, Pandora, Apple Music, and Spotify which must pay recording artists for the use of their Intellectual Property. Why should FM radio be exempt?

Help us end this injustice and ensure that music creators get paid fairly for use of their Intellectual Property. Please examine and see if you can support the AM FM Act today.

Humm,
I believe this has been bantered around for a while. As of now in the U.S. only songwriters and Publishers get PRO Royalties if they are surveyed by the PRO'S. And only then if the Artist is on a Major Label. If the Artist is also the songwriter he will/may get PRO Royalties if he gets enough Air Play on regular Broadcast Radio. Not sure who would collect the royalties and pay it out if Artists ever get paid for Airplay in the U.S. As I see it it will be one big mess. Sounds good on paper though.

One thing to remember about all of this. Most songwriters DON'T GET SONGS ON TERRESTRIAL RADIO, which is mostly what this covers. And even in streaming, they rarely have enough streams to revcieve any signicant income. I just got a fairly nice royalty check from ASCAP but it was from songs that accrued actually over a period of years. ASCAP and BMI no longer issue checks for under $50. Most writers are never going to get enough PAID performances to warrent much, even with changes in legislation. Once again, it goes back to declining payments from most consumers, the amount of product and writers out there and the reluctance for the public to pay for it. I am for anything that makes it better for songwriters. But realism also has to be interjected. In order for someone to BE PAID for their work, SOMEONE HAS TO PAY FOR THAT WORK. Sadly, most people are simply not going to be paid because they just don't have enough people paying them for it.

MAB

Writers and publishers get paid already, this is for the record labels and artist who do not get paid in the US but they do in Canada and most of the Western world. The radio stations are required to pay a percentage of their advertising revenue into a fund which goes to the PROs who in turn pays the label owner and to the artist on that label. The same principle as for the songwriters and publishing companies. The US radio stations have been bucking having to do this, they claim what they are doing is giving free advertising to the labels and artist which get them sales. They claim they can not afford to pay out this extra percentage of their advertising dollars. But radio stations in most other countries do and they don't go broke. With out music many of these stations would not attract listeners, so why would businesses advertise on their stations. Music is the basic foundation that keeps these stations in business, so why should they not pay a small percent (around 5%) of the money they make back to those that provide the means to keep them in business.

Everette,

It is always very easy to sit back and determine what radio, labels, artists, etc. should do when you don't have any skin in the game. It's another thing to actually be in the positions of power to stockholders, political infighting, etc. I will say this, that throughout history people have tried to force those kinds of decisions and they don't fare well. It wasn't long ago that DJ;s thought they had all the power. Boom! They are gone. Corporate conglomerates bought up the stations, the bandwidth and DJ's were out of jobs. Programmers took over. And now, Radio stations will change formats on you in a heartbeat.

I've known quite a few country, rock and pop DJ/s who came in to suddenly find their radio stations were oldies stations, talk format, sports, or other formats, and automation completely eliminated them. Today, you find the majority of music being played on podcasts, Internet stations, or most often now, the Echo Dot, that you speak into and it plays whatever you want. And those don't pay royalties.

Similar things have happened in venues, when artists have urged BMI and ASCAP to start enforcing collections. What has happened is tons of venues quit playing live music, stopped shows completely, gone to Karaoke or just have people that are not affiliated with any of the PROS. So sometimes it can be cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Canada is not perfect but better in some ways, although it doesn't fit everyone either. I've had more than a few frustrated Canadian artists come to America because they are not getting satisfaction up there. So there are no perfect solutions. Doesn't mean we don't try but again, you have to remember supply and demand. And that one is a pain. A LOT LOT LOT of supply. And a pretty finite demand.

Airways belong to the people, not to millionaires, not to billionaires, but if the people don't complain enough, rattle the government's cages enough, nothing will change. In Canada it's the CRTC which give licenses to those radio stations permitting them to use those airwaves for a determined amount of time. If they don't provide the service pleasing to the people, they may not get a renewal of that license. A lot of stations stopped playing today's music because it was not good enough to attract the listeners, without listeners, why would business pay for advertising on a station that had no listeners. Some started playing older music to hold listeners, some switched to open line call in shows where people could have a say on what was happening in their own town or province, or anything that caught their fancy. The people hold the ultimate power but many of us do not use it, even at election time. If we complain among ourselves about the poor radio content but don't complain to those that have the power to change it, nothing will change. If enough people boycott any product, the producer of that product will have to change that product or go out of business. Sitting back and taking things as they will never get anything changed. They will just continue with the same old thing, the Boston tea party is a good example of people power. They were tired of being pushed around and decided to push back.

Everett,

They did push back. It's called THE INTERNET.

Everett,

While I agree with the THEORY that "The airwaves belong to the people" they really don't, and never have. The airwaves in "COMMERCIAL RADIO" actually belong to whoever can afford to buy advertising on those airwaves, which is really why they were invented in the first place. We have this little radio show called "THE GRAND OLD OPRY" that was started in the 30's and is sort of the reason the entire world knows about American country music. The enitre reason the world has heard country music and why Nashville became the home of country music is because an insurance company built from the 20's, called "LIFE AND CASULTY" (L&C) put up a large broadcasting tower 10 miles outside of Nashville. It was 50,000 watts and a night reached 28 states and some provinces in Canada. It was put up so the company could broadcast COMMERCIALS. That is what radio and later television were actually about. And while there are many other avenues now, podcasts, Internet. I Heart Radio, etc. A majority of people still get their introduction to most music via traditional sources. Past that every thing is dissapated into millions of categories and formats.
And there are "PUBLIC BROADCASTING" as in this country and yours with the Canadian broadcasting, but most still derive their revnue from traditional broadcasting. And even in our country, with things FROM PUBLIC BROADCASTING, like Sesame street" have moved to commercial outlets like HBO, because without revenues there is no getting anything anywhere.

So yes, in theory, the PEOPLE do own the airwaves. In reality, not so much. And as far as "boycotts" or any such empty ideas, they never work and are never enforced. Are you going to be able to stop the car companies, liquor companies, tech companies, clothing, retail and other people that use that advertising to STOP advertising and people to STOP buying their products. NOPE. And even if you did, it is shown over and over again, people simply find other ways to get what they want. People have free will and to get them to give up or change their habits for a few people unfortunately doesn't happen in real life.

So the answer? Buy your own radio station and do your own programming. Or set up your own podcast, video, whatever and do what you want.
Aside from that, is just THEORIES.

MAB

Just like democracy is suppose to be of the people, by the people and for the people but it is really about people of power and money controlling whom ever they put in power. The real power is in the hands of the people pulling the strings of the puppets, they do what they are told to do. Thank God that is soon to come to an end.5% of the world holds 95% of the wealth and power. We the people are only pawns in the chess game of life, necessary only to serve the power brokers and consume what they produce to make them richer than they already are. Democracy and capitalisms is suppose to be the best form of government and business, and it would be except for the greed of man. Much wants more is the curse of society. Capitalist get rid of their competition by buying them out, squeezing them out, crushing them or what ever way they can. Then they recoup any losses by rising prices to the consumers who helped them put the competition out of business in the first place. All men are created equal in the eyes of God but not so in the eyes of man. We look up to those on top, the rich and powerful, put them on a pedestal, we don't question how they got there, we just want to be there too and some will or would do what ever it takes to get there. There lies the flaw of society, or most of society, we are concerned with number one first and we ignore the needs of others. Jesus said the poor we will have with us always, because He knew the wealth of the world would not be distributed equally.

I wrote a song called Taxpayer's blues, it was mainly poking fun at all the taxes we pay in Canada , but it could apply to any country. The governments in power keep searching for what ever tax they can apply to get that last dollar out of the pockets of the working man to subsidize the rich people and companies of the land, and of course most of those in government are the ones that will benefit in some way. They live high on the hog while in power, if defeated they usually end up with some cushy job with their party or some business they helped along the way. I'm talking about those in cabinet where the power is, the back benchers are just there to tow party like, they are dispensable if defeated or don't tow the party line.

Eh,
This Post reminds me of the Ferlin Husky song. MONEY GREASES THE WHEEL. In past years there were people that predicted the end is here. However we are still here You still have to get up off your posterior and work if you want to make it. Am I rich yet. H. No! In the old days somebody said We have to keep the trains running on time. A few of our unnamed candidates for public office think they can help there selves to the workers/tax payers money and give it away to the "Welfare Queens". It reminds me of the Cartoon where Sulvestor the Puddy Cat was fighting the Tasmanen Devil for a dollar. He said, I am a scared puddy cat but I'm a greedy puddy cat! Eh, yes. We do have some corrupt people in and out of Government but it all evens out in time. Geronimo!

.

Ahh yes, who could forget Money Greases The Wheel.......

There is no politician in the history of America who wasnt trying to line their pockets. Nobody in their right mind would want to be President if they weren't getting money in some shape or form. Usually its people who already have alot of money but are trying to introduce legislation that can enhance their investments, and lessen tax burdens and grow their money in some way. Try running for President if you are not at least a multi millionaire, it wont happen. Trump is going to turn around and write a memoir and make tens and hundreds of millions, and his exposure is only going to make him richer.

To me becoming President and becoming a music star are one in the same. You can only do it if your name gets out there and you become well known and have a following. You could be the smartest guy out there (most talented guy out there), but without publicity and exposure, your ideas(songs) go nowhere.

It seems really weak that we only get two candidates to choose from. Really? Trump and Clinton last time? I can name somebody on my street who cold do a better job.

Much like radio, we're told what is good music, and we're told who the good candidates are. We dont get a choice. We get a Republican and a Democrat, to represent hundreds of millions of people. We get Pop singer A and Pop singer B to represent the entire country. And has anybody ever asked you what songs you want to hear on the radio?

Airwaves cant belong to the people. You'd have 250 million people all fighting for what they like.

Didn't take long for that to go into politics. LOL! Glad you guys all have it worked out.

They DID take their own airwaves. Again, called the INTERNET. And there are several BILLION people fighting for what they want. Pretty much evened it out for everyone as I see it.

MAB

yeah I didnt mean to get political, just responding to Ray. I lost faith in politicians on either side a long time ago.

another analogy....the internet evens the playing field, but money and influence decides who's playing.

The internet is useless to MOST musicians. A few have found ways to make it work, but a few people win the lottery too.

Yep,

You have a better chance of being struck by lightning than having a decent career in the music business or winning a lottery.
You have a better chance of being struck by lightning in a SUBMARINE UNDERWATER than having great success in the music business or winning the lottery.

And it's always been that way. There is NOT ONE BIT OF DIFFERENCE IN IT AND NEVER HAS BEEN! Just more people in today's marketplace and less being paid out. Might as well learn to live with it.

MAB

Whazzat?
Politics? I thought we were discussing economics. Oh well. Write a Hit!