NAB President/CEO David Rehr sent a letter to House Intellectual Property Subcommittee Chairman Howard Berman, D-Calif., asking that additional hearings be held to explore the relationship between recording artists and their record labels.
Rehr thanked Rep. Berman for including NAB Radio Board Second Vice Chair Charles Warfield as a witness during a recent subcommittee hearing examining the role of local radio in promoting music, but said more hearings would convey the “full picture” of the issue.
“A hearing that includes the Recording Industry Association of America and the four major record labels would allow members of the subcommittee to explore more thoroughly the typical business practices of the recording industry and the dynamics of the relationships between the performers and the record labels,” wrote Rehr. “If the goal is to improve the circumstances of performers and build the cadre of music into the future, the relationship between performers and record labels also bears examination.”
Rep. Berman has said he intends to introduce a bill this month that would require over-the-air radio stations to pay performance royalties for the music they play. NAB opposes the move, calling it a double tax on radio, which already pays royalties to ASCAP, BMI and SESAC.
