PRO”s “Performance Rights Organizations” regulate Urban Radio

Black radio is the most significant channel of urban culture and family values in the African American community.

It serves as an important source of news for black families from the black perspective and entertainment for audiences in every ethnic group. Everyone listens to black radio for the drama and buffoonery and to catch up on hot topics.

A rally to “Save Black Radio” is scheduled to take place May 13 in front of Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) office in Detroit.

Representative Conyers is an 80-year-old African American congressman who is the sponsor of the Performance Rights Act.

The Performance Rights was originally introduced in February earlier this year designed to collect royalties on local radio for airplay. Commercial radio will have to pay the same fees as Satellite radio.

In a segment on the Tom Joyner Morning Show with Roland Martin and Cathy Hughes, she said that during a meeting in Conyers’ office with opponents of the measure, the congressman “turned up his CD player so loud that we could not hear anyone talk … It was turned up to teenage volume.”

It is unbelievable that a Senator would stoop to such a tactic as to turn up the volume on CD player in the middle of a meeting to avoid hearing what citizens have to say about legislation that affects so many others.

The following is a excerpt from theUS House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary  Press Release February 04, 2009 http://judiciary.house.gov/news/090204.html

The legislation would amend an inequity in America’s copyright law that exempts over-the-air broadcasters from paying those who perform the music that we listen to on AM and FM radio. Webcasters, satellite radio providers and cable companies are presently required to pay for music they broadcast.

“All those in the creative chain of musical production – the artists, musicians, and others who enrich us culturally – deserve to be justly compensated for their work,” said Conyers. “We have introduced the Performance Rights Act to ensure fairness so that any service that plays music pays those who create and own the recordings – just as satellite, cable and internet radio stations currently do. Working with the Senate, I hope that Congress may act quickly to pass this important legislation to level the playing field between different technologies and ensure rightful compensation to performers.

What is going on? Why are they trying to destroy the one medium that is really the pulse of the black community?

Radio is not only about the music; it speaks the same language and conveys the message in the way that it can be heard effectively by those that choose to tune in.

When I was a child black radio was a rare jewel in the community and served to bridge the gap in communication where communities were cut off or excluded from mainstream media.

As Cathy Hughes stated, it is the responsibility of the record executives and companies to pay the individuals that sing or perform in any way on a song why should the radio stations pay residuals anyone other than the writers who hold the copyright to the song?

Performance royalties are tracked and paid out by the performance rights organizations like ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and SoundExchange.

The royalty process begins once a song is registered with one of the three performing rights organizations.

Once a song is registered, it becomes part of that PRO’s (performing rights organization) collection and is available to all of its users. Most of those users have a “blanket license” to use any or all of the PRO’s music, however some users license on a per program basis and only pay for the music they actually use.

The PROs  performing rights organizations deduct money for their operating expenses and the rest goes to the songwriters and publishers.

Every since the writers strike in the television industry people have become greedy and money driven about how much money they are not getting through every available medium.  It is my understanding that when you agree legally to participate in producing music you cross your “i’s” and dot your “t’s” to ensure your compensation.

What happened to fuel this performance tax and why does someone like Conyers have an axe to grind with urban radio? Who has been affected by this that it has become another form of racism to black radio?

While the resolution will be framed in terms of preventing a ‘tax,’ ‘fee,’ or ‘burden’ on local radio stations, in reality, the only payment broadcasters would be required to make would be for the use of someone else’s property.” http://hiphopnews.yuku.com/topic/1015

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