Friday, February 10, 2012

March Of The Big Green Buttons

July 31, 2007

The House Judiciary's Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property was the place to be Tuesday morning before its hearing titled "Ensuring Artists Fair Compensation: Updating the Performance Right and Platform Parity for the 21st Century."

The topic is a contentious one in the music industry -- a recent push to pay artists for music that is broadcast over AM and FM radio. But the mob scene outside the hearing room was a bit unexpected. The line stretched all the way down the hallway.

There was a great deal of hand-shaking and back-patting, with industry executives and lobbyists presumably swapping stories about where they will be vacationing when Congress adjourns for August.

A flurry of representatives with the musicFirst coalition handed out big olive green buttons to anyone with a free hand. The pins championed their cause better than a press release ever could. They read: "I support a performance right now."

The National Association of Broadcasters, which opposes changes to the provision of copyright law, were buttonless. Perhaps they'll think of another gimmick to spread the word.

Read Technology Daily's PM Edition for the full story.

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Juliana Gruenwald

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Juliana Gruenwald has been covering tech and telecom issues for more than a decade for National Journal, Interactive Week, BNA and Congressional Quarterly. This is her second stint with National Journal. She was recruited by NJ in 1998 to help launch its first tech policy publication, Technology Daily. She left in 2000 to cover international tech and telecom issues for Ziff Davis Media's Interactive Week magazine. She started her career at United Press International as the wire service's first Helen Thomas Intern. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota. A Minneapolis native, she misses the lakes but not the cold.


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Josh Smith covers technology policy as a staff reporter for National Journal. He previously interned at National Journal Daily, a Senate press office, and the Deseret News in Salt Lake City where he covered the state legislature, courts, and crime. In 2009 he graduated with honors from Southern Utah University after managing an award-winning student newspaper as editor-in-chief. Josh has received state, regional and national awards for his political and policy reporting, including first place in CapitolBeat’s 2009 Best of Statehouse Reporting college competition. A native of drop-dead-gorgeous Utah, Josh lives in Virginia with his wife, Amber.