And just who does the NAB want investigated? Try the big international recording conglomerates. The trade group’s comments come in the wake of a PR stunt by the Music First Coalition which was made in support of imposing performance royalties on music receiving airplay. NAB counters that a recording musician’s income would be substantially diminished without the promotional benefits of free radio airplay, reaching a combined audience of 235M Americans. Said NAB’s Dennis Wharton, "NAB welcomes this debate, and we encourage Congress to call record label executives to the table and answer to their well-documented decades-long abuse and exploitation of musicians."
RBR/TVBR observation: Musicians are well known to have had traditionally rocky relationships with the recording companies that are likely to be the true beneficiaries of any fees imposed on broadcasters. The sad fact is that musicians who have not achieved iconic status are likely to receive take-it-or-leave-it offers from the conglomerates designed to direct the fruits to the corporation, not the artist. That’s the relationship the musical community needs to repair.
