Comments on: Congressman Compares Lack of Radio Performance Tax to Slavery

By: Bill Jenkins

Bill Jenkins — Fri, 07 May 2010 22:20:00 +0000

I am all for the radio performance tax. That way, I might get some local FM stations that has some of my favorite conservative talk show hosts as some of these other stations die off.

90% of the music made today is crap anyway. I’m fine with my XM radio for now.

By: Peter Alexander

Peter Alexander — Tue, 04 May 2010 19:59:15 +0000

The majority of U.S. radio stations pay a % of gross sales ALREADY to ASCAP and BMI to license the music being broadcast.

By: Jared Moya

Jared Moya — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 22:35:23 +0000

You don’t get it. All the arguments you made are immaterial to the fact that terrestrial radio gets a free pass to play copyrighted material (minus a performance tax) while online radio stations and satellite radio does not.

BTW, satellite radio is subject to the FCC

By: Tim

Tim — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 19:47:15 +0000

Wow. I’ve never seen so much ignorance in one place. First of all, no radio station is making anyone perform anything. The “performance” happened in a recording studio. A performance for which the performers were paid by their record company. A performance that led to a recording, which if it’s on the radio, was a “hit” that sold hundreds of thousands, if not millions of copies, generating millions of dollars in revenue for the artist and the record company. Question: If Aretha Franklin gets some of the “performance tax” money, will the studio musicians that play on that record get a share too? No. Although they were part of the performance as well. In reality it appears roughly 50% of what is collected would go to the record company, 40% will be absorbed in administrative costs, and eventually 10% will trickle down to the artist. Maybe. And lets not forget that these artists do perform live, many in concert tours that gross millions in a year. Dave Matthews Band topped HALF A BILLION in tour revenue last year. Remember these artists would not have had a “hit” had their songs not been played on the radio. No one would have known about the songs or the artists to know to buy the music or go to the shows. Record companies have spent untold amounts of money and time over the years promoting artists to radio to convince them to play songs to make them hits. In the 50′s they even PAID radio to play the records — illegal payola! Remember the scandals? The idea that someone did something ONCE (recording a song) and that they should get pair for it repeatedly forever is INSANE. I replaced a lightbulb last week at work. Every time someone turns it on, they should pay me again, right? Because they’re benefiting from the work I did. This congressman is an idiot.

Further, satellite radio CHARGES people to listen to it. Regular radio does not. Regular radio has to warn you of severe weather, meet insane FCC rules and regulations (which satellite and internet radio does not) and already pays thousands in copyright fees per station to play the music.

Thinks about this. Lets say I want to record a song. a song someone else wrote. I have to pay for the rights to record and distribute/sell the recording. I give it to radio to get it on the air so people find out about it. Radio has to pay again for the right to broadcast it. The local diner has the radio on so customers can hear it — they too must pay for the right to turn up the radio so customers can hear it. Then, I get a gig at a local coffee shop to perform the song on open mic night- THEY had to pay for the rights to allow me to perform that music in their shop. That’s the way it stands now. And now someone thinks more fees should be involved? Lunacy. Complete and utter lunacy.

By: Jared Moya

Jared Moya — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 22:16:25 +0000

Unfair because satellite radio and online streaming do have to pay the performance tax. Why does radio get a free pass?

And they are comparable, if they weren’t the NAB wouldnt have tried so hard to prevent the merger of Sirius/XM.

Bottom line is that it’s a business like any other and shouldn’t be given immunity just because it plays PSAs.

By: Wocka_Wocka

Wocka_Wocka — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 19:15:53 +0000

Jared,

How is this an unfair advantage over satellite radio and online streaming? Terrestrial stations are beholden to certain civic obligations, such as a required amount of PSA air time, that neither satellite radio nor online streaming companies have to provide. Also, the three forms of broadcast are not all directly comparable because they all have vastly different operating expenditures intrinsic to their form of broadcast. Because of the differences in these three forms of broadcasting, terrestrial radio does not necessarily benefit from the claimed unfair advantage of the lack of a performance tax.

By: Albert H. Nichols

Albert H. Nichols — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 18:25:18 +0000

please NO performance TAX . AM/FM Radio is the backbone of the music/perfamance buisness and are society it begain. computor down loading is just as pertanent!

By: Mike

Mike — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:22:55 +0000

Old people are funny when they try to understand technology lol. Music has been free for 10 years and no one’s going to stop it.

By: DA Williams

DA Williams — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:38:50 +0000

If it were not for AM and FM radio, the major labels that exist today, never would have become as large as they have. It was local radio stations who played the records which exposed the artist to the masses. Record sales soared because radio was the marketing vehicle. Now the labels want to charge radio to do want hey have always done for free (minus payola), it just isn’t right. And after this, they will come after Internet Broadcasters.

By: World Anarchy

World Anarchy — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:29:44 +0000

Even by American standards, this fellow is rather ignorant.

Slavery is not ‘unpaid labour’. Slavery is ‘forced labour’.

No radio station is forcing musicians to work for them.

What is truly sad is this individual’s belief that free labour is slavery. How mentally perverted must a man be to wish only to work for remuneration? Needless to say, work done solely for the sake of money is generally mediocre.

Mark Twain was right. Congress really is America’s native criminal class.