Coalition of artists and music industry organizations wants artists compensated when their music is broadcast on the radio
GRAMMY.com
The Recording Academy, along with recording artists and other music industry organizations, on Thursday launched musicFIRST (Fairness in Radio Starting Today), a coalition seeking compensation for performers when their music is broadcast over the air.
More than 100 recording artists, including Christina Aguilera, Jimmy Buffett, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, the Doors, Earth, Wind & Fire, Don Henley, Wyclef Jean, Toby Keith, Patti LaBelle, John Legend, Jennifer Lopez, Martha Reeves, Thievery Corporation and Mary Wilson, have signed on as founding members of musicFIRST.
Currently, artists are compensated when their work is played on satellite, cable and Internet radio. However, AM and FM radio are not required to pay when they broadcast the performances of thousands of artists every day.
"As we celebrate 50 years of the GRAMMY Awards, it is important to note that artists have sought fair compensation from radio for each of those 50 years," said Recording Academy President Neil Portnow. "Three years ago in Washington, The Academy called for action at its GRAMMYs on the Hill event. Today, with the launch of the musicFIRST coalition, that effort moves into high gear. A performance right for artists is long overdue as hundreds of millions of dollars that rightly belong to copyright owners and creators continue to go unpaid. The time has come for Congress to correct this historic inequity and for U.S. radio stations to join the rest of the industrialized world and compensate artists for using their works on the air."
According to the coalition, the United States is the only Western, free-market nation that does not require radio stations to pay artists and labels when they broadcast performances on the radio.
"Of all the ways we listen to music, 'corporate radio' is the only medium that refuses to pay performers even a fraction of a penny for their voice and creativity," said Mark Kadesh, executive director of musicFIRST. "This campaign is about making sure everyone, from up-and-coming artists to our favorites from years-ago, is guaranteed fair treatment when their music is played."
MusicFIRST is asking for the multi-billion dollar radio industry to be held to the same standards as its competitors.
"What we're talking about here goes beyond the big-name stars; we're talking about aspiring artists, back-up singers, band members — all the people that bring the music to life," said Don Henley. "Radio makes millions of dollars because of our creativity, talent and hard work. It's time that all of us are fairly compensated."
The goal of musicFIRST is to ensure that struggling performers, local musicians and well-known artists are compensated for their music when it is played both today and in the future. For more information on musicFIRST, please visit www.musicFIRSTcoalition.org.
