Winehouse Weighs In On Royalties, NAB Pushes Back
There's a new development in the vicious feud between music industry interests and broadcasters over AM/FM radio -- 6,000-plus artists from more than 15 countries plopped a petition on Congress's doorstep urging the prompt passage of legislation to close a legal loophole that exempts radio stations from paying performance royalties. Read about that effort here.
I got a call from the folks at the musicFirst coalition who pointed out that the eccentric, high-haired Grammy award-winning Amy Winehouse was among the signatories. So were crooners Elton John and popular up-and-coming solo artist James Blunt.
Winehouse's involvement in the effort made me want to watch her hilarious, rambling acceptance speech from the awards show all over again. She took home five trophies at the Feb. 10 ceremony. I scoured the blogosphere for clips but it seems that the videos were stripped from the Internet due to copyright claims. Sigh.
"To my mom and dad, for my Blake, my Blake incarcerated, and for London!" Winehouse shouted after a performance of “You Know That I’m No Good” and “Rehab.” Blake is her husband who is currently awaiting trial in a London jail. Gosh, that was a good speech. Maybe we'll have to reenact it in the newsroom so I can get my fix.
Meanwhile, the National Association of Broadcasters unveiled a print ad on Tuesday opposing the initiative they have deemed a performance "tax." The ad, which reads, "Are record labels leaving artists holding the bag?" points out what NAB believes is the ironic move by the RIAA to rally artists in support of "fairness," while one of their largest members faces litigation for allegedly "cheating" artists out of royalties. See that ad here.
Categories:
Congress
Join the Discussion
The National Journal Group has the right (but not the obligation) to monitor the comments and to remove any materials it deems inappropriate.
Comments powered by Disqus