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Radio Station Owners Petition For Greater Consolidation

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Eight stations in a single market is apparently not enough for already-consolidated station owners — are they really representing radio's best interests?
Philip Merrill
Advocacy
Dec 5, 2018 - 4:37 pm

Is big radio getting bigger? The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is expected to issue a new Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for comments about media ownership regulation of audio programming later this month. In anticipation, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has submitted its latest arguments for special treatment while musicFIRST and the Future of Music Coalition submitted joint comments opposing greater consolidation.

The FCC was created in the 1930s to ensure that America's broadcast and wire communications functioned efficiently and in the national interest, without discrimination or unreasonable charges. As the voice for the nation's radio and television broadcasters, NAB speaks for the industry and its owners. As the FCC prepares to review caps limiting how many radio stations can be held by a single owner, NAB has stepped out to argue why it believes station owners should have lighter restrictions.

America's communications infrastructure is no longer dominated by telephone lines and broadcast towers, but the FCC remains the primary agency with jurisdiction over the rules of the airwaves. As summarized at Billboard, the dueling submissions present competing views of how government should participate to ensure a competitive marketplace. The established and already consolidated owners of radio stations are fighting the rules limiting them to ownership of only six FM stations and two AM stations in each of America's major markets. Meanwhile musicFIRST and artist groups view the radio industry as already highly consolidated, leading to consequences for types of programming that discriminate and reduce the number of independent voices.

"Such consolidation … causes homogenization of AM/FM music playlists," they argue, "such that listeners of commercial AM/FM music-driven stations now hear a substantially less diverse swath of artists and recordings than before consolidation."

On the other hand, NAB's answer to the need for more competition is in favor of more consolidation, falsely believing that greater market presence, with less diversity, is the only way for radio stations to compete with the diverse options presented by digital and streaming platforms.

In their comments, the music organizations also call out the unfair legacy advantage radio station owners enjoy that they do not need to pay musical performers for the use of their recordings.  But for NAB, considering this copyright concession is "outside the scope of [the FCC's] regulatory jurisdiction and expertise." It should be clear that both the arguments for consolidation and for non-payment of royalties recommend taking a point of view that favors current owners.

Clearly, NAB wants the FCC to take internet competition into account so that radio itself can be made less competitive, to improve its financial stability in competition with high-tech providers playing by a different set of rules. But NAB wants the FCC to stay hands-off about radio's unfair advantage of not paying performance royalties. It's questionable whether such arguments genuinely put the interests of broadcast radio first. They seem to favor the financial interests of radio's struggling established owners, who seek more special advantages.

The cost of perpetuating radio's carve-out from market forces and competition guidelines has retarded the progress of its own platform. Our national culture is less interesting due to this continued protection, but big radio wants the freedom to continue to fail in their established old ways, by gaining even more special protection from the government.

Changing radio and ending its fossilized protections is an opportunity to show what these towers and stations can do. NAB should tune into the new frequencies and not be stuck arguing that eight stations in one market is too strict a limit.

Learn More About The Performance Right For Sound Recordings

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How Working Musicians Will Win When Congress Passes Radio Performance Right

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In honor of Labor Day, take a look at how music unions and the musicians who belong to them would benefit from finally getting the AM/FM performance right they deserve
Nate Hertweck
Advocacy
Aug 30, 2019 - 2:35 pm

"While radio rocks out and cashes in over Labor Day, the performers you hear get paid nothing. There's a better way…" –Conversations In Advoacay #64

Labor Day comes around each year to remind us of the precious power and intrinsic value of hard work in our culture. For working music makers, compensation for their hard work can be tricky to track down, as music permeates into so many spaces in our lives. But in the realm of broadcast radio, artists and producers still don't get paid for the performance of their music, songs they worked hard to create.

Imagine that: AM/FM radio stations can use any song ever recorded without paying the artists, performers or producers a dime. That's a lot of hard work gone unrecognized.

Now imagine this: if royalties were paid for music played on terrestrial radio, it would not only benefit the featured artist on your favorite track, but also the studio musicians and backing vocalists who performed on the track too. That’s because a portion of the royalties would flow through the AFM & SAG-AFTRA Intellectual Property Rights Distribution Fund. The fund then distributes royalties to entitled singers and musicians, and while only union members are eligible to receive foreign royalties, all U.S. royalties are paid out without regard to membership. Clearly, this would put money in the pockets of all the music makers you hear over the airwaves.

This is why AFM and SAG-AFTRA, along with the Recording Academy, are founding members of musicFIRST, which works to ensure music creators get fair pay for their work, on AM/FM and wherever and however it is played. Together we all fight to ensure music creators receive fair pay, regardless of what format utilizes their music.

So as you fire up the grill on Labor Day and dial in your favorite station, consider the hard work put in by the artists and producers you hear and contact your Members of Congress to urge them to finally establish a long overdue performance right so we can keep the music playing.

Let Your Representatives Know You Stand In Support Of Music Creators' Rights

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Streaming Earns Major Labels Record Income As Radio Lobbies For Outdated Loopholes

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Under the newly passed Music Modernization Act, artists and songwriters alike will benefit from streaming profits, yet radio still seeks unfair privilege to pay no performance royalties
Philip Merrill
Advocacy
Feb 27, 2019 - 12:57 pm

Music's big three labels had a landmark year in 2018. Reviewing data compiled by Music Business Worldwide, Rolling Stone reported $19 million per day of major label revenue from streaming in 2018, which can easily be considered as a massive triumph for major labels. Thanks to the Music Modernization Act, which was signed into law last year, this money will not only be shared with the artists but a fair market share will now go to the songwriters, too.

This is good news all around for monetizing the new industry. Looking at reported revenue from Sony, Universal and Warner, MBW tallied more than $6.9 billion in 2018 revenue from streaming. Compared to 2017's total of $5.3 billion, that is a $1.6 billion increase. These figures prove that, even in the music business economy where technical innovation can outpace due compensation legislation, there is real growth to be made.

But as streaming platforms find their footing, older formats struggle to evolve. In what has become a meaningful tradition for radio broadcasters, Congress has reintroduced the Local Radio Freedom Act (LRFA) once again, a resolution seeking to exempt broadcast stations from the burden of paying musical performers anything for playing their recordings. Meanwhile in the same world where streaming and innovation have made growing revenues real, it seems hard to believe that the past is a safe guide for terrestrial radio’s future, but still believers in LRFA seem to reject doing things differently.

On Feb. 14, the non-binding Local Radio Freedom Act was introduced into the Senate with its House companion introduced on Feb. 19. The National Association of Broadcasters expressed the gratitude of “America’s hometown broadcasters” on Feb. 20 in support of LRFA resolutions. However, this is a strange ritual that continues Congress after Congress in an attempt to deny paying artists, musicians and producers for the use of their sound recordings. The resolution seeks to entrench the U.S. as the only free market country in the world without a performance right for artists, joining North Korea, Iran, and China. As the industry, and the world, embrace innovative new platforms that benefit artists, platforms and fans, the radio industry doubles-down on outdated laws and technologies. 

Music Business Worldwide's report also shows declining physical sales, which is nothing new, but its numbers surrounding streaming give cause for hope in fairly monetizing and compensating the platforms replacing physical. Radio, on the other hand, has seemed to resist this type of progress. Holding back an industry and then using its money troubles as a reason to fight change is what the LRFA stands for, not love of radio.

Radio Station Owners Petition For Greater Consolidation 

Little Big Town

Little Big Town

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Quincy Jones, Linda Perry & More: 61st GRAMMY Nominees Who Put Music Advocacy In Action

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Take a look at the many policy advocates whose music received nominations this year
Philip Merrill
Advocacy
Feb 6, 2019 - 1:47 pm

Activism on behalf of music creators is the mission of the Recording Academy's ongoing Advocacy efforts, enlisting the support of our membership who best understand and appreciate how policy affects their livelihoods. Here are 20 artists, producers and professionals who have joined the cause and are also recognized this Sunday with nominations at the 61st GRAMMY Awards.

Why GRAMMYs On The Hill Makes A Difference

The 2018 GRAMMYs on the Hill Awards honored country quartet Little Big Town. Previous winners of three GRAMMYs, this year their song "When Someone Stops Loving You" is nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. Hillary Lindsey and Lori McKenna of the Love Junkies performed at the event and were two of the song's co-writers, earning them a nomination this year for Best Country Song. Also at GRAMMYs on the Hill 2018 were Fantastic Negrito, whose Please Don't Be Dead is up for Best Contemporary Blues Album, and classical producer David Frost, who is nominated for Producer Of The Year, Classical and Best Opera Recording for his work on Strauss, R.: Der Rosenkavalier.

The 2017 GRAMMYs on the Hill honoree was Keith Urban and this year his song "Parallel Line" is up for Best Country Solo Performance. Lauren Daigle also participated, and her Look Up Child is nominated for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album and its song "You Say" is up for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song.

The 2007 GRAMMYs on the Hill honoree Quincy Jones is nominated this year under Best Music Film for Quincy, a documentary recounting his legendary life in music. The winner of last year's Best Comedy Album award, Dave Chappelle is nominated in the same category again this year for Equanimity & The Bird Revelation — Chappelle participated in the very first GRAMMYs on the Hill event.

Year round the Academy's National Advocacy Committee helps to guide and lead our policy activism and this year, two of its members received nominations. Co-chair Harvey Mason Jr. is up for Best Musical Theater Album for his production and mixing on Jesus Christ Superstar Live In Concert. Committee member Lalah Hathaway has three R&B nominations including Best R&B Album for Honestly.

District Advocate Day is an exceptional opportunity for our members to make their voices heard and in 2018, more than 1,500 raised their voices together, meeting with lawmakers and candidates. Hawaiian artist Kalani Pe'a has been a stalwart advocate and his No 'Ane'i is up for Best Regional Roots Music Album this year. Another leader in music activism who participated is Memphis Chapter Board Member Sean Ardoin, whose Kreole Rock And Soul is up for Best Regional Roots Music Album as well. The album's lead track "Kick Rocks" is also up for Best American Roots Performance. Dom Flemons was active at District Advocate Day last year and his Black Cowboys is nominated this year for Best Folk Album.

Nominated for Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical, Linda Perry gets special kudos for encouraging voter turn-out with her #GetUpandVote campaign.

Sara Bareilles played a special role in last year's GRAMMY Week briefing of Congressional Lawmakers. She's nominated alongside Mason Jr. for Jesus Christ Superstar Live In Concert. The 2017 briefing enjoyed the participation of Kelsea Ballerini, nominated this year for Unapologetically under Best Country Album.

Sting and Shaggy are nominated together under Best Reggae Album for their collaboration 44/876. They participated in a GRAMMY Museum Up Close & Personal event on Oct. 7, 2018 where they spoke extensively on the theme of music advocacy.

PJ Morton is heading into the 61st GRAMMY Awards with four nominations, including Best R&B Album for Gumbo Unplugged (Live). His advocacy was instrumental on May 16, 2017, during the Louisiana Music Industry Day.

We thank all of our members and nominees for sharing their talents and using their voices to advocate for music creators at both a national and state level. Their activism helps to positively shape the futures and livelihoods for music creators today and for generations to come. As our Advocacy efforts continue and we celebrate this year's recognition at the 61st GRAMMY Awards, we are a team making a difference and looking forward to continuing our work in 2019.

Hosted by Alicia Keys — herself a 2015 GRAMMYs on the Hill honoree — the  61st Annual GRAMMY Awards will be broadcast live from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles in HDTV and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network, Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019, at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT.

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Lawmakers and the Academy celebrate together
Photo: Recording Academy

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Successful Year for GRAMMY Advocacy Culminates at Celebration in New DC HQ

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A bipartisan bash brought together music's creators and top lawmakers at our new Advocacy offices in the nation's capital
Philip Merrill
Advocacy
Dec 19, 2018 - 4:09 pm

The Recording Academy's hard work on Capitol Hill has paid off in 2018 with real progress, and the time to celebrate has come! On Dec. 12, the GRAMMY-nominated songwriter, Julia Michaels, joined the GRAMMY Advocacy staff, lawmakers, Congressional staff and stakeholder groups—over 200 guests in total—for a holiday open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Recording Academy's new offices in downtown Washington, D.C. The new space is intended to be a home for Academy members visiting the nation’s capital, and help better unite the policy community—in bipartisan fashion—with the music creator community.

Julia Michaels at the GRAMMY Advocacy open house.

“I want to thank the Recording Academy for being here in DC to represent those of us who make music” --GRAMMY nominee Julia Michaels at the GRAMMY Advocacy open house.

This special unity was on display throughout last week’s celebration, including during the official ribbon cutting ceremony that brought together musicians like Michaels and Academy Trustee and singer/songwriter Tracy Hamlin with lawmakers Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Rep. Ron Estes (R-Kan.) and Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.). Hoyer, who was recently elected Majority Leader for the 116th Congress, addressed the crowd praising the Academy for its efforts and successes in Washington.

Earlier in the festivities, Michaels had a bipartisan visit with Reps. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Norma Torres (D-Calif.). McCarthy will be the top Republican in the House next Congress and continue to serve alongside the aforementioned Hoyer as co-chairs of the Recording Arts and Sciences Congressional Caucus. Their bipartisan partnership on behalf of music led to 2018's historic victory when the Music Modernization Act was signed into law after having unanimously passed Congress.

Reps. David Cicilline (D-RI), Ted Deutch (D-Fla.), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), and Grace Meng (D-N.Y.) also joined in to celebrate with us. D.C.-based producer, engineer and songwriter—and recent GRAMMY nominee—Matt Squire entertained the crowd on Pro Tools, demonstrating how a song is brought to life as a recording, from start to finish. Michaels also addressed the importance of what happens after that, bringing the creative process full circle in context for the crowd.

The year of progress we've had and the passage of the Music Modernization Act are so important because the professionals who create the music we all love — the music that unites us — have to make a living to pour their time and talent into their craft successfully. Cheers and more to come in 2019—with a new home in D.C.!

GRAMMY Advocacy In Action: The Music Modernization Act & Beyond