With RIAA’s effort to make radio stations pay a performance royalty to record labels and artists for music broadcasts again being debated on Capitol Hill, Classical WCLV-FM Cleveland is asking its listeners to lobby in support of broadcasters. The effort is being promoted on-air and on the station’s website.
Here is the spot being run several times per day on WCLV:
“WCLV needs your help. And we need it now.
I’m Robert Conrad, president of WCLV. The House Judiciary Committee recently held hearings on the newly reintroduced “Performance Rights Act” (H.R. 848), otherwise known as the “Performance Tax”. If enacted, the bill would require WCLV and other broadcasters to pay a royalty for all the recorded music we play on the radio. This money would go the record companies, most of whom are foreign owned. This would be in addition to the royalty payments we already pay to composers and publishers and to record companies for the right to broadcast our music on the Internet. The financial impact of this performance tax could be financially devastating at a time when the advertising that supports WCLV and its classical music programming is at an all time low due to the recession.
We ask you to write your representative in support of an opposing resolution, the “Local Radio Freedom Act” (HCR 49), was introduced recently. You’ll find a sample letter on our website. Click on the banner on the home page or on the links on every page at wclv.com. Help WCLV and other broadcasters. Express your support of the Local Radio Freedom Act. And please – do it today. Thank you.”
Click here to see the sample letter.
RBR/TVBR observation: Once again a reminder that of the 535 Members of Congress, only one Representative and two Senators have the headquarters of a major label located in their district. All 535 have at least one local radio station (most a lot more) whose listeners they have to answer to back home.
