AfterDawn: Tech news

Free radio may become a thing of the past

Written by Dave Horvath @ 05 Jul 2007 10:03 User comments (41)

Free radio may become a thing of the past Not to be content with merely going after lost assets from music file sharing, the RIAA has set its sights on yet another potential revenue generator. Stating that the advent of the Internet and the ease in which its tools can give consumers easier and more efficient access to music, the RIAA feels that they are no longer receiving the benefits due to them for allowing radio stations to play their music for free. While the overall financial outlook of broadcast radio has only seen very marginal increases in revenue as of late, the RIAA appears to want to kick the radio stations while they're down and at their weakest.
For at least 70 years, radio stations have been allowed to broadcast music of their choosing without the need to provide royalties to the recording industry or its artists. The agreement originally made between the two groups was an arrangement of free advertising and viewed as a necessary expense to get new and current artists noticed in the music community.

As of mid-June, 133 musicians and recording industry organizations, including the RIAA have formed a coalition called musicFIRST. Its aim is to press Congress into reviewing the copyright acts and reform the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998. They would like broadcast radio to be treated to the same royalty obligations as satellite radio.



In another article, Chief Legal Officer for Clear Channel Communications states, "Congress has recognized for more than 70 years that the record labels receive a substantial benefit from the airing of their music on free radio. They are basically receiving free advertising. This idea is just plain backwards. They should be paying us to play their music. Unfortunately, that's against the law."

Several broadcasting companies have pulled out of negotiations with other entities on deals which would generate web related profits for the sole purpose of focusing their efforts on fighting what musicFIRST has proposed. It appears there will be a war on radio and we can only hope the good guys win.

Source:
MSNBC

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41 user comments

15.7.2007 10:23

**** the RIAA. This is goddamn retarded.

25.7.2007 10:45
JGringo
Inactive

I thought I had heard it all. I guess I was wrong again. There seems to be no lack of insanity in this world. I guess the RIAA won't be happy until there is no music left to be heard.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 05 Jul 2007 @ 10:46

35.7.2007 11:11

I guess the artist think there to good for radio. LET THEM it will be there down fall. lets see how popular they will be when MTV, BET VH1 all become pay channels too.
This file sharing will never stop. it might on the net but then it will just underground and be passed from friend to friend. one way or another the music "thieves" will get it out there.
more money should be put into copy protections LOL

45.7.2007 11:28

Doesn't the RIAA have someething better to do than..........this. Apparently they don't have enough money

55.7.2007 12:01

you know what, I wanna see the RIAA (Rich Idiots of America Associated) try to do this to get raped by a bunch of mobs in the end... ahh RIAA when will you learn that America is extremely stubborn and easily to piss off... go and take our free radio, go and take our music away, just don't blame the pirates when your organization dies due to your idiocy that can even get your very OWN artists to go against you.


--enough said--

65.7.2007 12:19

Greed Greed Greed. Long live the MP3. Users will always have an upper hand when it comes down copyright stuff. In the digital age we live in everything can be copied. RIAA wants people to pay for crappy music. Us the Users need to force record companies and musicians to come up with better music. Everything sounds the same now, why should we pay for a remix to a song that I already purchased before. I encourage people to stop listening to "mtv bands" and appreciate creative new artists talent.

75.7.2007 12:31

The radio stations can fight back easily by black listing the 133 musicians/groups that joined this musicFirst org.and not playing their music. Playing the music of everyone else will get those on the outside wanting back in when their sales drop. TOOOO easy.

85.7.2007 12:47

Originally posted by garmoon:
The radio stations can fight back easily by black listing the 133 musicians/groups that joined this musicFirst org.and not playing their music. Playing the music of everyone else will get those on the outside wanting back in when their sales drop. TOOOO easy.
That is a very good point.

I think that artists are just getting even more greedy these days.

95.7.2007 14:05

well, this is pretty dumb. good thing all of the stations around me suck

105.7.2007 16:07
hughjars
Inactive

Greed, short-sightedness & such rank stupidity in a fearsome mix, again.

Actually I think at least some of them know the 'industry' generally is dying (a few might even be honest enough to know they're the ones who've killed it too) and they're just trying to rake out the last few dollars before the whole sh*thouse they have made collapses under the weight of all the sh*t they filled it with.

F*ck 'em, hopefully they'll get impoverished in some bad property deals or stock deals.
Worthless bast*rds.

The Pistols had almost all of them summed up 30yrs ago and they're still right today.

Who needs them anyways?
There is a whole scene and newer clued in companies growing up without them (and it's not exactly 'in' with conventional commercial radio either).

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 05 Jul 2007 @ 4:49

115.7.2007 16:47
skyhigh
Inactive

Don Meclean said it right in a song awhile ago "that will be the day that the music Died". The RIAA can go take a flying !!!!!!!!.

125.7.2007 17:02

I coulda swore some people were joking about this before. I guess the RIAA must have been monitoring sites like this and thought it was a good idea. Oh well, I guess its bye bye to radio. Wonder whats next, probably over the air TV. Next thing you know, your gonna be paying for the crap on the over the air channels.

135.7.2007 17:05

RIAA is crap and this is all because of bloody capitalism that is crapping the world all around. Why do we need to privatize everything and why cant we have something out their for the society to enjoy without thinking of how it can make our pockets deeper.

145.7.2007 18:35

wow....just wow......if they try to do this, you can bet they'll get their asses sued by radio stations all over the country.

155.7.2007 18:58

I predict that within ten years we will see terrorist-style attacks against organizations such as these. It's unfortunate but these mafia-type companies usually run with..well..the mafia. Sooner or later they will turn on them.

Stranger things have happened..

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 05 Jul 2007 @ 6:58

165.7.2007 20:15

And just to remind everybody just who this hated RIAA is...

Warner Music (US), EMI (UK), Vivendi Universal (France) and Sony BMG (Japan / Germany)

175.7.2007 20:22

I could care less. I don't listen to the radio anyway.

186.7.2007 01:28
SamNz
Inactive

LONG LIVE TORRENTS AND P2P thats all i have to say fck the RIAA

196.7.2007 02:20

if the RIAA are successful and all of a sudden it is expected that people are to pay for normal radio it will finally open the pc illiterate peoples eyes to the evil that is going on. It will be the end of the RIAA because at the moment it is only the pirates and pc friendly people out there that know of the riaa

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 08 Jul 2007 @ 7:51

206.7.2007 07:15

Broadcast TV works differently, since the major networks (NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX) typically OWN the content in which they air. For the content they do not own, for example the NFL, the NFL rakes in billions of dollars from the network, since the network will make it all back through advertising, etc.

Now for radio. RIAA owns the content. Clear Channel owns the airwaves (and most of them throughout the country.) Which is bigger? I think it hurts the RIAA more in the end, than it does Clear Channel. How hard would it be for Clear Channel to "blacklist" the RIAA artists, and make deals with indy bands? Guess what, the music we are now introduced through the air are no longer from the RIAA. Music played in the clubs, usually run by local radio stations, no longer RIAA. RIAA is cracking down on internet radio as well. So how does their music get heard other than P2P or iTunes? Short answer: it doesn't.

The RIAA really thinks they can squeeze another dollar out of the industry, when in fact, they will shrink their industry even more. If Clear Channel owns the new artists and make them popular, then RIAA has no legs. Even Sirius or XM may realize that "Clear Channel Bands" are more popular and dump the RIAA labels. I see a huge chain reaction, and considering the current state of traditional media, I don't see why radio stations need to comply with the RIAA.

216.7.2007 08:06

I guess I now have a list of 133 musicians to boycott as well as not buying CDs. I actually enjoy internet radio as I would rather pick which genre of music that I listen rather having to choose between the few radio stations that I get on the radio.
The RIAA is only hurting themselves as the music they are trying to push on society will slowly be ignored.

226.7.2007 12:55

most of the bands i listen to arent even played on the radio. so it doesnt really matter to me, but this is ridiculous

236.7.2007 13:07

Who are the 133 musicians?

246.7.2007 13:52

capitalism. land of the "FREE" aint turing out to be so free huh?

256.7.2007 14:38

Lets SAve some money. Email al-quida an tell them to blow RIAA head quarters of the face of amarica. i would say about a million dollers should do. for an extra million mabe we could get rid off MPAA too.

266.7.2007 14:38

Lets SAve some money. Email al-quida an tell them to blow RIAA head quarters of the face of amarica. i would say about a million dollers should do. for an extra million mabe we could get rid off MPAA too.

276.7.2007 15:57

Originally posted by DXR88:
Lets SAve some money. Email al-quida an tell them to blow RIAA head quarters of the face of amarica. i would say about a million dollers should do. for an extra million mabe we could get rid off MPAA too.
Took the words out of my mouth.

286.7.2007 18:13

Two words. "Over sea". People are gonna be shoutcasting overseas, the same way the Pirate Bay is hosting Torrents, we are going to be seeing possibly Torrent Radio perhaps, or more Pirate Radio. There will be life and music after legal broadcast Internet radio...LOL!

http://www.engadget.com/2004/06/15/how-t...n-with-an-ipod/

http://radio.about.com/od/pirateradi1/Pi...d_Broadcast.htm

What effects us in America don't effect other nations, and it is too easy to send a playlist overseas. There is the DVD, the tiny hard drive, the CD, you name it. The black market is just gonna go INSANE.

296.7.2007 18:20

CRaftyzan i laugh at that comment there forcing contry after country to jump on there band wagon Even the small ones not even worth mentoning on a map Pressuring a naihboring country is what amarica does best

306.7.2007 19:55

Quote:

“the RIAA feels that they are no longer receiving the benefits due to them for allowing radio stations to play their music for free”

“radio stations have been allowed to broadcast music of their choosing without the need to provide royalties to the recording industry or its artists”

Comment:
Yes, they may not pay royalties but the kicker here is the RIAA pays them to play certain songs over and over again, it’s called Pay’Ola and it happens more now then ever before. In the 50’s it was a big deal and was suppose to be abolished, what a farce. Just like new Movies, MPAA, their ways are catching up with them and they aren’t making the money they use to. This is all about spilt milk that they spilt.


Quote:

“As of mid-June, 133 musicians and recording industry organizations, including the RIAA have formed a coalition called musicFIRST.”

Comment:
You notice how they put the poor musicians and recording industry first and include the RIAA at the end. This is totally about the RIAA first and foremost they get the big piece of the pie, the talent only gets squat unless they become really big like Mr. Sunglasses Bonehead from U2, as an example.

The bottom line is the RIAA made this system and now that they have poorly mismanaged it they are crying foul, shame on them.

It’s been said that Broadcast TV could be next to go, fine by me I’d much rather watch crap WITHOUT commercials then crap with, basically I’d rather pay then have commercials. This is exactly why SAT radio is kicking @ss on commercial radio plus the sound quality is better too. Now that’s not to say I want commercial radio to go away, I don’t, I’m just not going to use it much so it would have to be community funded to stay alive.
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 06 Jul 2007 @ 7:56

317.7.2007 06:40

as others have already said, its just greed. artists(i use the word artists very loosely) in todays so called music have as much talent in the whole bodies as i have in my left testicle. i watched part of the bet awards and i have to say "what a bunch of misfits, no talent, fat, ugly, and talentless morrons. prejudiced? no just honest.

328.7.2007 16:35

They just think the world owes them so much. In reality they have always have taken advantage of who ever. The royalities were due to all their work stimulating talent. Really all they were doing is sitting on their fat asses sucking up the money. Now that talent is not knocking at their door they need to find others to screw.

I don't really care, I listen to burned CDs and my ipod. I really don't like CDs of just one artist. I like a wide mix on CDs and I always use random play on my ipod. Let the junk dealers keep their trash!

339.7.2007 01:06

Before I buy anything I have to become aware of its existence. One normally hears new albums & songs & music or what ever on the radio. If you hear something you like you go out & buy it.

If the Radio stations would rather go with independent upcoming artists who might be more than willing to allow free use of their creation for the publicity it would generate the RIAA would end in a heap of crap & so would the so called established big name performers.

I look forward to that day.

349.7.2007 03:18

pmshah, you mean you don't buy random music to see if you like it? Neither does anyone else. Journey experianced a 400% purchase surge after the last episode of the Supranos. It just goes to show some of the classic rock music still has some miles on it but people have to hear it.

The pigs that ate the goose that laid the golden egg did get one thing right. The internet does provide a new broadcast medium. However, I hope artists will opt not to sign with a record lable. With the internet, the RIAA is unnecessary and major expense.

3510.7.2007 19:09

Originally posted by cousin80:
Who are the 133 musicians?
http://www.musicfirstcoalition.org/#m=1&s=3

...mostly lame asses and has-beens.

Actually, I think this whole thing is great. RIAA and Clear Channel are two of the worst aspects of music in the USA. If they are fighting, then maybe they will kill each other and everyone will win.


~Maitland

3614.7.2007 13:38

Quote:
they are fighting, then maybe they will kill each other and everyone will win.

3714.7.2007 13:42

Quote:
they are fighting, then maybe they will kill each other and everyone will win.
hopfully, companies like that are just a nucience. Filled with the corrupt and greedy (as some other have mentions already) who will try to destroy something that people love just to make a couple bucks.
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 14 Jul 2007 @ 2:03

3915.7.2007 09:08

I would not count them as a nucience, they are more like a plague.

4015.7.2007 09:57

an epidemic, i just wish that someone could find a cure...

4118.7.2007 19:26

Anybody seen team amarica kinda reminds me of the film actors guild. or F.A.G for short. hehe

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