No, this is not a satire. Unfortunately, it is what passes for reality at the RIAA.
It would appear that the recording industry now likes to call any sort of business model it doesn’t like “piracy.” At least that’s the only explanation I can come up with in its latest battle, where it has referred to traditional radio as “a form of piracy.” It’s almost too bizarre to be true, and that’s before we even explain how this involves a (literal) can of herring.
It’s difficult to pick a side to cheer for in a dispute between the RIAA and the NAB — as we’re talking about two organizations with a history of saying the most outrageously incorrect things in misguided attempts to “protect” the industries they represent (which almost always ends up backfiring and hurting the industry). However, in the latest battle between the two, it seems pretty clear that it’s the RIAA that’s being more ridiculous. This is the latest skirmish in the battle that the RIAA started last year, in trying to get radio stations to pay royalties to musicians. If you’re not familiar with the details, as it stands now, radio stations have to pay royalties only to songwriters and publishers for the music they play. The musicians themselves don’t get royalties, with the (very reasonable) explanation that having songs on the radio acts as a strong promotion for the musicians. This explanation is supported by the history of radio, in which “payola” has almost always played a large role. The record labels have always paid the radio stations to play their bands — a rather overt admission that radio helps promote new artists. (Read more)
SOURCE: TechDirt
| UPDATE: This is the best comment. “…all the NAB needs to do is say fine, tax us but its going to cost you $1 (per play) to play any song on the radio that isn’t in the public domain or freely licensed for play by the artist. Would you like that invoice per day or all at the end of the month?” |
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