Music Labels Whine About Radio

Clear Channel programmers are set to meet in Los Angeles this week, with the music industry sponsoring events so the programmers can screen tunes and provide feedback. It’s just one of the ways Clear Channel and other radio groups have tried to take more control in their relationships with the record companies, according to a story in the Wall Street Journal.
Radio and record companies need to find a better way to do business together, Bill Scull, president of Tri-State Promotions, stated. “Because of the size of the radio groups, the power has shifted and record companies now feel like they’re not getting full value,” he told the WSJ.
Record companies have asked Congress and the FCC to look into radio’s promotion practices since consolidation. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wisc., has said he’s working on a bill to do just that.
Record labels have focused on radio’s relationships with independent promoters; fueled in part, states the WSJ, by the downturn in record sales.