Musicians and artist organisations around the world have added their voice to a campaign in the US to revamp the rules governing the royalties paid by terrestrial radio stations in North America or, to be more precise, the lack of royalties paid by terrestrial radio stations in North America. As previously reported, music radio in the US is pretty damn unusual in that radio stations get away with contributing very little to the record industry for the music they feature on their outputs. The situation came about because of the history of the radio and music industries in the States, and because for years the radio sector claimed it helped the music business by providing free marketing for their releases.
Pressure has been growing to change that situation, not least because newer online and satellite radio services don't enjoy such a favourable royalty scenario, which, they argue, gives the terrestrial radio firms an unfair advantage. Late last year a group of US politicians put forward proposals to introduce albeit relatively modest royalties for terrestrial radio companies to pay, and those proposals have been much discussed in the last couple of months.
Now over 6000 artists from fifteen countries, including the UK, have put their name to a petition calling on those proposals to become US law. The petition, organised by global record label trade body the IFPI and UK recording royalty society PPL, says that the signatories believe it is "grossly unfair" that the $20bn US radio industry pays nothing for the music it uses to draw audiences and drive profits.
Welcoming the petition, John Smith, President of the International Federation of Musicians, says the widespread support for the introduction of radio royalties in the US shows how important this issue is. He told reporters: "It is encouraging that so many performers from across the world have taken the time to voice their support for their American friends and colleagues. Many of the musicians represented within FIM globally depend on airplay royalties for a significant part of their livelihoods. They deserve a fair deal from commercial radio in the US. In FIM's view, it is unfair that the US is the only western free market country that does not grant a broadcasting right so that performers can get paid a fare share of airplay royalties".
Doyle Bartlett, the boss of musicFIRST, the US organisation leading the campaign to get radio royalties, added: "This extraordinary and impressive array of artists is a testament to the inequity of current US laws and the commitment of performers to finally closing this outrageous loophole".