The New FCC has lobbed the first cannonball into Fort Sumpter.
Congress is currently debating ending the exemption it created to the Copyright law that shields radio stations from paying royalty fees to artists for playing their music on the air. MusicFirst is a group representing the music artists and they want to buy advertisements on radio to tell their side of the story to counter the NAB’s “Performance tax” ads.
The radio stations are not providing a balanced view of this issue, and are refusing to even sell ad time to the opposing point of view. The FCC has announced that it is going to consider this issue and is accepting comments from the public.
The NAB (whose President quit when this issue started and has yet to be replaced) has chosen this hill to die on. There is not even a hint of negotiating a compromise.
Remember the old advice – “Don’t start a war you aren’t prepared to lose”.
No offense, but it is Fort Sumter
So it is!
Have any opinion on the article?
GOOD I am sick of listening to Rush and Hanity’s.Terroristic nonsense. I would love to listen to something in the middle but you know what I cant there is none do you know why? I do ……… a monopoly
This issue is about music on the radio, not talk. Clear Channel also syndicates Randi Rhodes, Dr Dean Edell, Jesse Jackson and until recently Bob Costas and most of the Air America and Progressive talk stations. Time for you to return to reading the Huffington Post.
I used to be tired of Rush and stopped for a very long time. That usually helps when you don’t want to hear someone. That is why they created a tuner dial and the off switches.
As for you mention of monopoly, Rush and hannity are in no way a monopoly. Rush is hugely successful and stations wait in line to get the rights to broadcast his show. He delivers ratings. Left leaning talk does not, because this country is not left leaning. It is right of center conservative, polls support this endlessly. Complaining about something you want, which is available, you just have to look for it, makes you a whinner.
Dinjee there is hope for you though…
In the end, as technology evolves further, such as broadband “iphone” style devices, and becomes more economically availabe to audiences, radio as we know it will eventually be gone! An IP based device will allow you to listen to anything from anywhere in the world and you can feel all warm and fuzzy by listening with like minded numbheads of what-ever-political dialectic that you would like to be a party too. If this does not happen, it will be the special interest groups, like the NAB and government that preclude this liberating device that could every come to the marketplace.
iPhone and other devices like this will put end to the contrivency of radio as we know it. Eventually, it will do the same with TV. The 1,000 feet towers that dot the lanscape of America and other countries will be a thing of hobbiest.
So as far as radio stations paying royalties, they should, cause they will be broadcasting on the interent only, soon enough. If net broadcasters have to pay, will radio should too. The aurial broadcasters will be brought onto the playing field with the rest of the net broadcasters eventually, and their special status will be no more.
The Radical Reductionist! Fighting BS everyday!
Uhh… maybe listening to an e-z listening station instead might help, for awhile, for some relief. I mean if words in the form of protracted sounds really bother you take a smoother ride approach, kick back and journey back, way back to the 70’s-before the big NWO cabal, the 70’s might be fine for ya with Olivia and John or if thats not too harsh try closing the lids to DISCO SUICIDE by BrandX, oh what terror can do unless of course you are paranoic, btw, that was a good movie!