Wednesday, May. 27 2009 @ 4:12PM
One of the more interesting bits of music-related legislation to come up recently is the bill known as the Performance Rights Act. Drafted as House Resolution 848, sponsored by House Judiciary Committee chairman Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) and co-sponsored by a host of legislators including Houston Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee, H.R. 848 would require broadcasters to pay a fee to performers for using their material. On May 13, the House Judiciary Committee approved H.R. 848 21-9; it now faces a hearing before the full body, although no date has been scheduled yet.
Through some arcane loophole, broadcasters' existing agreements with bodies such as ASCAP, BMI and SESAC - the licensing organizations who tabulate, collect and disperse royalties - only covers songwriters and publishers, meaning if an artist didn't write a song, he or she won't see any "mailbox money" no matter how many times it gets played on the radio. According to some literature from Jackson Lee's office, the law governing such practices has not been amended in 100 years, and the only other countries that treat their artists thusly are Iran, North Korea and China.
This all sounds equitable enough, but many radio stations - especially smaller ones, ones not owned by giant media conglomerates and often targeted to minority, rural or religious audiences - are worried any further governmental incursion into their balance sheets could be catastrophic. (The committee approved Jackson Lee's amendment that would lessen the amount such stations would pay, and allow for a longer period before their bill came due.)
To see how one such Houston station - Third Ward-based
KCOH (1430 AM), a beacon to the local African-American community for well over 40 years - is taking the news, Rocks Off rung up principal stockholder and General Manager Mike Petrizzo Wednesday morning.
Rocks Off: Are you familiar with this bill?
Mike Petrizzo: Very much so, yes.
RO: If this goes through, what sort of effect do you think it would have on KCOH?
MP: I don't think it'll be passed.