MusicFirst Takes NAB Fight To FCC
A group backed by the Recording Industry Association of America, digital royalty rights collector SoundExchange and other music interests filed a complaint with the FCC late Tuesday claiming that AM and FM radio stations belonging to the National Association of Broadcasters have threatened performers, refused to run their advertisements, and made misleading statements to the public. The filing by the MusicFirst Coalition comes as Congress contemplates whether to end a long-standing royalty exemption afforded to terrestrial radio. "For more than 80 years radio stations have been using the work of artists and musicians without compensating them, now they're using the public airwaves unfairly for their own self interest," said MusicFirst Executive Director Jennifer Bendall. "We respect the First Amendment rights of broadcasters to air their views in this and any debate, but they've crossed the line."
NAB spokesman Dennis Wharton issued a statement calling the allegation "an act of desperation by a record label lobby losing on Capitol Hill and in the court of public opinion." He added that Will.i.am, a vocal proponent of the performance fee legislation, and his group The Black Eyed Peas currently hold the No. 1 slot on Billboard's Pop 100 Airplay Chart with the song "Boom Boom Pow." "If there's an FCC probe involving the music business, it ought to focus on claims from numerous artists -- from The Beatles to Prince to Cher -- that they were cheated out of royalties by their record labels," Wharton said. The House Judiciary Committee recently approved the bill backed by MusicFirst and a companion measure awaits action in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
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