NAB

Local Radio Freedom Act arrives in Congress

Posted on by Anna Washenko

One of the most intractable issues in music licensing is broadcast radio’s exemption from performance royalties to artists and labels for the use of recorded music. The exemption has the weight of history: It has always been so in the U.S., though not in most other countries with government-regulated music licensing. The situation’s rarity is not of concern to advocates of radio’s licensing privilege, who assert that radio’s traditional role in driving awareness, success, and sales of music performers is as vital today as ever. Continue Reading →

Webcast parties file arguments with Copyright Royalty Board; we look at NAB and SoundExchange

Posted on by Brad Hill

Webcast companies have filed written arguments with the Copyright Royalty Board, as the streaming industry moves inexorably toward a new licensing period for the use of music recordings starting in 2016. The filing deadline was last night at midnight.

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and SoundExchange have both filed their documents. The two petitions use some of the same language, but to opposite purposes. We examine both arguments. Continue Reading →

Editor’s Notebook: Radio, disaster relief, and performance royalties

Posted on by Brad Hill

Inside Radio noted (paywall link here) that a group of Nebraska radio stations has donated $5,000 to the Red Cross for disaster relief after storms ripped through parts of the state. This sort of radio activism on behalf of local communities ties into traditional radio values of locality and community service. More particularly it resonates with recent arguments, in press releases and government hearings, against applying music-licensing performance royalties to broadcast radio. Continue Reading →

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House majority supports radio’s exemption from performance royalties

Posted on by Brad Hill

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) announced that a congressional majority has signed onto a resolution called the Local Radio Freedom Act. The bill opposes any change to radio’s existing and long-standing exemption from paying a performance royalty to labels and musicians, for broadcast use of recorded music. Continue Reading →