Pan-European independent labels trade body IMPALA has called on European radio stations to make commitments to independent music similar to those recently agreed to by the major radio firms in the US.
As previously reported, American broadcasters Clear Channel Communications, CBS Radio, Entercom Communications and Citadel Broadcasting all last week confirmed they had signed up to 'terms of engagement' regarding how they would work with music companies as set out by the US indie trade body A2IM. The four radio groups also committed to setting aside specific air time for independent and local artists.
The radio companies made the commitments as part of their settlement with media regulator the FCC regarding past payola practices in the US music radio promotions sector, where major radio firms and record companies broke rules regarding the linking of track playlisting to commercial or promotional relationships - practices uncovered by the much reported investigation launched by former New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer.
Calling for a similar review of the relationships between major radio and record companies in Europe, and for a commitment by the former to better support the independent sector, IMPALA President Patrick Zelnik told reporters this week: "A similar assessment should be carried out on European radio. The FCC investigation has shown just how vulnerable the market is when access is not guaranteed. Europe is one of the most diverse regions in the world with extremely talented artists and its airwaves should reflect this".
IMPALA chairman and Beggars Group chief Martin Mills added: "This is a very significant first step in this area, and A2IM has done an amazing job in achieving this - now we need to build on this".