5 months ago
BANGOR, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- A bill making its way through Congress would force radio stations to pay artists for their music. When DJ Jason Roberts plays music over the airwaves, WKIT pays for it. The radio station pays a fee to the songwriter. A new law would require the station to pay the artist or musician as well, changing what WKIT General Manager Bobby Russell says has traditionally been a healthy relationship. "They would provide us with the music to play and we would play their music free of charge over the air" Russell said. Marty Machowsky of the Music First Coalition says the law would fix what he believes is a loophole in copyright law. "From our perspective it's a fundamental question of fairness," Machowsky told NEWS CENTER. "If radio stations across the country are going to earn billions every year playing music, they should compensate the people who create that music." The Music First Coalition says radio stations would pay a blanket fee for all of the music they play. For 75% of radio stations in the U.S., it would cost about $5 thousand a year. Half of the money would go to the artist, and half of it would go to the copyright holder, which in many cases is the record label. Maine Association of Broadcasters President Suzanne Goucher says artists are already making money off of radio play by getting free promotion. Marty Machowsky argues that radio is no longer the strong promotional tool it once was, and that artists are compensated when other promotional platforms play their music, and radio shouldn't be any different. Bobby Russell says if the law passes, it could cripple radio stations. At the least, it will mean hard choices for many radio stations. "If this goes through you'll see a lot more talk stations," Rusell said. "I won't take as much of a chance playing new music. If I have to pay for every song that I play, I will only play songs that i know from bands that i know." The Performance Rights Act has passed both the House and Senate Judiciary Committees.
