More Than 100 Lawmakers Co-Sponsor Local Radio Freedom Act
WASHINGTON -- February 12, 2009: One hundred and ten members of the House -- 73 Republicans and 37 Democrats -- have co-sponsored the Local Radio Freedom Act, re-introduced today by Reps. Gene Green (D-TX) and Mike Conaway (R-TX).
The resolution reads, "Congress should not impose any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge relating to the public performance of sound recordings on a local radio station for broadcasting sound recordings over-the-air, or on any business for such public performance of sound recordings."
The LRFA was unveiled at a Free Radio Alliance event, and Green told the Congressional staffers in attendance, "We don't want to diminish that ability of what free over-the-air radio does with AMBER Alerts, with information and disasters. And I can tell you if we take away revenue from free over-the-air radio, we will see that option go down when we have a disaster."
Conaway said, "I have a lot of rural, small radio stations that are just barely making it. They provide an incredible link to the outside world and are a vital part of that community. These performance royalties, performance taxes will hurt their bottom line."
The event was MC'd by Kane, morning host on Clear Channel Top 40 WIHT/Washington, who said, "What happens if radio can't take risks on new music?" Kane asked. "What about the relationship with the artists? Will radio welcome Eminem, 50 Cent to the radio stations? Will we give out concert tickets?"
The resolution was initially introduced last year, and ended up with the support of the majority of the House; the reintroduced resolution has more than twice as many initial co-sponsors as last year's. The LRFA counters the Performance Rights Act, introduced recently in the House and Senate, which would for the first time require broadcasters to pay royalties to record labels for the use of music.
NAB EVP Dennis Wharton said, "NAB applauds Reps. Green, Conaway, and their House colleagues for their commitment to ensuring that America's 235 million weekly radio listeners have continued access to free, local radio. The undeniable fact is that RIAA's plea for a record-label bailout will put thousands of radio jobs at risk and threaten the economic viability of a recording artist's greatest promotional asset."
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(5/23/2009 12:48:07 PM) Expaned version, can u replace it? COMMUNISM & THE DEVIL WORSHIPPING COPYRIGHT LAWS or THE GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT VS THE PUBLIC BRAIN EXPERIENCE 5/23/09 COPYRIGHT LAWS CAUSE EXPONENTIAL DECAY! Yep!! You heard me right! Copyright laws are straight from the communist party and second cousin to the devil. “How’s that work?” you say? Well when article 1, sec 8 of the constitution was written it started the largest “bailout” in American history. The founding fathers just wanted to protect artists and inventors from the pirates, and that was very noble of them. Now I have nothing against protecting inventors, after all they do a very large service to all humankind. Therefore, this complaint is against the arts only! After all, singers and actors swiped all the accolades when the radio, TV, and motion picture, etc was invented. The public was “blindsided” into believing the artists were the genius behind our new technology. After a couple hundred years and billions of dollars later, we are still protecting the artists from what? The answer is, protecting them from competing in the business world. Plain and simple they have a free ride with the aid of the communications and entertainment industries unions, guilds, associations, and their contractors. Unions and that’s what I’m talking about! The largest collection of unions in America bonded together by one kind of glue, “copyright protection”! It’s nothing new, “Ayn Rand”, “Red Star over Hollywood”, “Roy Brewer”, “and Communists in America”, “How Communists Seduced the American Film Industry”, and the list of evidence goes on. The proof is there to be had for anybody that wants to view it. The roots of anticopyright run deep, past the fringe fanatic liberal left, and straight into our ultraconservative moral Christian soul. Let us change the perception that the anti-copyright crowd is always a left wing action. A strong Christian moral right that supports less government and more self-sufficiency can replace copyright laws. Government intervention into the business world has always had some kind of repercussion. With the copyright business being bigger than the auto industry (GDP estimates at 5%) its time we look at the real bailout in America. In this case, the artists have found a way to live like kings off the royalties from some simple country song or just a cartoon drawing of an animal. In some cases the “one hit wonders” can support an entire family for several generations from their simple production. So, what’s wrong with somebody making big bucks from a one hit wonder? First of all it’s “golden calving”. When Moses came down from the mountain and saw that some people had made a golden calf and were worshipping it, he was angered. As should any man of God, be! It is a shame when you see young girls swooning and even fainting in idol worship of a musician or entertainer. That is what happened when the artists were making the golden calf. The women stood around them remarking on the quality of art, and what great and talented artists they were. In these day’s they would have even gotten a copyright on that calf. Copyright laws suborn IDOL WORSHIP OF GRAVEN IMAGES! Is copyright law part of the Mark of the Beast? Do we treat this kind of idolatry indirectly, going roundabout and with a backhanded ambiguity ignoring, it’s true nature? Is it arrogance and folly to claim copyright over God? (Mark 7: 21-22) GOD DESTROYED THE PEOPLE OF ALABAMA FOR THEIR IDOL WORSHIP. In the mid 1800’s, Alabama was a prosperous thriving state. Mineral explorations found large deposits of iron ore. The state grew wealthy and Birmingham was once named the “magic city” because of its incredible growth and prosperity. In 1903, the people of Alabama built a 52-foot tall iron statue of the underworld God Vulcan. It was made completely of iron ore from Alabama, and is the largest statue of its kind in the world. In 1903 it must have been one of the most grandiose sights to behold on the face of the earth. The abomination was created to celebrate Alabama’s great iron industry wealth. People didn’t fall to their knees and pray to this god, but the Lord God of us all was still jealous and offended. In just a mere decade, after this Vulcan (largest iron statue in the world) was built the enormous prosperity of Alabama disappeared completely. To this day as the statue sits on a mountaintop perch overlooking Birmingham the people of Alabama remain one the poorest of all the states. A testimony that idol worship goes beyond praying and serving a false god. “Th |
| - Gil |
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(4/23/2009 1:04:29 PM) COMMUNISM & THE DEVIL WORSHIPPING COPYRIGHT LAWS or THE GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT VS THE PUBLIC BRAIN EXPERIENCE 4/22/09 Yep!! You heard me right! Copyright laws are straight from the communist party and second cousin to the devil. “How’s that work?” you say? Well when article 1, sec 8 of the constitution was written it started the largest “bailout” in American history. The founding fathers just wanted to protect artists and inventors from the pirates, and that was very noble of them. Now I have nothing against protecting inventors, after all they do a very large service to all humankind. Therefore, this complaint is against the arts only! After all, singers and actors swiped all the accolades when the radio, TV, and motion picture, etc was invented. The public was “blindsided” into believing the artists were the genius behind our new technology. After a couple hundred years and billions of dollars later, we are still protecting the artists from what? The answer is, protecting them from competing in the business world. Plain and simple they have a free ride with the aid of the communications and entertainment industries unions, guilds, associations, and their contractors. Unions and that’s what I’m talking about! The largest collection of unions in America bonded together by one kind of glue, “copyright protection”! It’s nothing new, “Ayn Rand”, “Red Star over Hollywood”, “Roy Brewer”, “and Communists in America”, “How Communists Seduced the American Film Industry”, and the list of evidence goes on. The proof is there to be had for anybody that wants to view it. Let us change the perception that the anti-copyright crowd is always a left wing action. A strong Christian moral right that supports less government and more self-sufficiency can replace copyright laws. Government intervention into the business world has always had some kind of repercussion. With the copyright business being bigger than the auto industry (GDP estimates at 5%) its time we look at the real bailout in America. In this case, the artists have found a way to live like kings off the royalties from some simple country song or just a cartoon drawing of an animal. In some cases the “one hit wonders” can support an entire family for several generations from their simple production. So, what’s wrong with somebody making big bucks from a one hit wonder? First of all it’s “golden calving”. When Moses came down from the mountain and saw that some people had made a golden calf and were worshipping it, he was angered. As should any man of God, be! It is a shame when you see young girls swooning and even fainting in idol worship of a musician or entertainer. That is what happened when the artists were making the golden calf. The women stood around them remarking on the quality of art, and what great and talented artists they were. In these day’s they would have even gotten a copyright on that calf. Copyright laws suborn IDOL WORSHIP OF GRAVEN IMAGES! Is copyright law part of the Mark of the Beast? Do we treat this kind of idolatry indirectly, going roundabout and with a backhanded ambiguity ignoring, it’s true nature? Is it arrogance and folly to claim copyright over God? (Mark 7: 21-22) GOD DESTROYED THE PEOPLE OF ALABAMA FOR THEIR IDOL WORSHIP. In the mid 1800’s, Alabama was a prosperous thriving state. Mineral explorations found large deposits of iron ore. The state grew wealthy and Birmingham was once named the “magic city” because of its incredible growth and prosperity. In 1903, the people of Alabama built a 52-foot tall iron statue of the underworld God Vulcan. It was made completely of iron ore from Alabama, and is the largest statue of its kind in the world. In 1903 it must have been one of the most grandiose sights to behold on the face of the earth. The abomination was created to celebrate Alabama’s great iron industry wealth. People didn’t fall to their knees and pray to this god, but the Lord God of us all was still jealous and offended. In just a mere decade, after this Vulcan (largest iron statue in the world) was built the enormous prosperity of Alabama disappeared completely. To this day as the statue sits on a mountaintop perch overlooking Birmingham the people of Alabama remain one the poorest of all the states. A testimony that idol worship goes beyond praying and serving a false god. “Thou shall have no other Gods before me.” Exodus 20:3, Jeremiah 25:6, Deut 6:14 Is the Vulcan the largest demigod graven image in the world? If so what a shame it is here in America! People of Alabama, God is not slack! If yo |
| - gil |
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(2/13/2009 1:20:33 PM) Radio airplay makes the artist. Without constant airplay, nobody would ever buy a new artist's record. Nobody would ever hear about them. It's easy for a U2 or a Coldplay to sell records now, but 30 years ago nobody ever heard of U2. Radio is free and free publicity, why change things after 100 years? |
| - Greg |
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(2/12/2009 3:05:24 PM) It's about time someone stands up for this! The real issue is the radio stations pay to ASCAP and SOCAN and the like for the writers, song writers that is. Royalties are paid and air-time is paid for by advertisements. The labels want money for their PERFORMANCE artists, not the songwriters unless they are both, at which point they will get more money. How many radio stations are already playing the same song 10 times a day? The labels send free promotional items (and payola) to influence the playlists. This is promotion! If they charge more, so say the radio broadcasters, for performance royalties, the radio will die. You'll be left with what the RIAA already has their fingers in, satellite radio. Take a look at AM radio and what happened, the same is happening to FM radio. Consumers are tired of it and go elsewhere. Now the labels want to kill it because they want to control everything again. It is nice to see the House has some people who at least care a little bit about the consumers and the artists. Though I am sure the labels will lobby until they get their way. Wasn't there a song about the death of music, called American Pie? Maybe that song is foreshadowing the future. All art is controlled and therefor, not purchased. Society suffers. Maybe when the cartels fall we can start over and do it right! |
| - Robert |
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