Broadcast Radio versus the Recording Industry

According to Roll Call, which is the Congressional newspaper, the Recording Industry Association of America, or RIAA, is joining forces with several artists' organizations to push Congress to require that broadcast radio stations pay royalties to performers. This is an entirely new issue and one that will be hotly argued by all sides.

All Along the Watchtower, originally written by Bob Dylan. Nor did Aretha Franklin earn any radio royalties for Respect, originally penned by Otis Redding. The list goes on and on. There are millions of songs made famous by someone other than the songwriter.

satellite and Internet radio do pay royalties to the songwriters, the performers and the labels. But broadcast radio does not.

National Association of Broadcasters is gearing up. David Rehr, the head of the NAB said, "We will fight…very aggressively. Broadcasters generate enormous sums of money for record labels by the airplay of their music. Airplay of music works for the benefit of the record labels and their CEOs who live in Hollywood Hills.”

Clear Channel and Emmis are struggling to survive?

Eliot Spitzer killed payola in this country, record labels and broadcast radio have become strange bedfellows. Radio airplay rarely equates to sizeable sales, so labels and artists are looking to get compensated for their work in more traditional ways.