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Dear Local Officer,
I am pleased to
inform you that the Senate Judiciary Committee has approved a
bill that would give musicians a performance right for music
played on the radio. This is a big step in the right
direction for musicians who have been denied fair
compensation for too long. The AFM has been working closely
with members of Congress on this matter and will continue to do
so until a performance right is secured.
I encourage you
to read the entire story below to learn more about this
development.
Sincerely,
Thomas F. Lee
President
AFM
JUDICIARY: PANEL APPROVES BILLS ON ROYALTIES,
GENERICS
By Andrew
Noyes
The
Senate Judiciary Committee today approved legislation by voice
vote
that would require AM and FM radio to pay
fees to performers and record
labels, although
small and minority-owned radio stations would be
afforded
certain
carve-outs.
The amended radio
bill, which has been opposed by the National
Association
of Broadcasters, would require
stations earning less than $50,000 to pay
$100
per year; those making $50,000 to $100,000 to pay $500; and
stations
grossing $100,000 to $500,000 to pay
$2,500. Stations earning $500,000 to
$1.25
million would pay $5,000, and stations grossing more than that
would
pay a per-song
rate.
The legislation makes
special accommodations for songwriters and
includes
language to standardize rates across
music platforms. It also includes a
three-year
fee delay for broadcasters earning less than $5 million
annually
and a one-year delay for those making
more.
The panel rejected an
amendment from Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, that
would
have put off the effective date until the
FCC could gauge whether the new
costs would
diminish diversity on the airwaves. He also argued the
measure
would "kill
jobs."
Sens. Dianne Feinstein,
D-Calif., Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and
Senate
Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy said the
changes, which are similar to
those made to a
House bill now awaiting floor consideration, address
many
of the concerns raised. But Leahy pledged
to continue to work with others
seeking further
modifications, such as Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.,
who
said the bill still needs to be
tweaked.
Leahy also reiterated
today the NAB should "end the stonewalling" and
work
with lawmakers and the music industry to
craft a compromise. Judiciary
ranking member
Jeff Sessions also supported seeking compromise because
the
bill is "not something I'm sold on yet." But
Hatch said the statutory
change is "a matter of
logic, a matter of law, a matter of decency, and
a
matter of doing what's
right."
The panel also passed a
bill, 12-7, that would prevent
pharmaceutical
companies from making deals with
other drug companies to halt production
of
generic
drugs.
The generics bill,
sponsored by Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee
Chairman
Herb Kohl, D-Wis., passed after
lawmakers modified its penalties and added
a
delay in the effective date. The committee previously softened
the
original bill's total ban on pacts to stop
generic drug competition. But
Hatch said the
measure still needs work before he can support it.
Cornyn,
Sessions, Minority Whip Kyl, and Sens.
Arlen Specter, D-Pa., Tom Coburn,
R-Okla., and
Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. also voted against the
bill.
http://www.nationaljournal.com/congressdaily/cdp_20091015_1347.php
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