Radio killed the songstar
US lawmakers are debating the extension of copyrights law to include payment to performance artists for music played on AM and FM radio. The law, as it stands today, requires broadcasters to pay songwriters, but not music performers. The Bipartisan Performance Rights Act will, if passed, require AM and FM radio stations to pay a flat rate to both songwriters as well as performance artists, just as satellite radio stations and cable companies are required to. But critics say record companies will pocket the revenues.
Jennifer Bendal of MusicFIRST, an organization committed to ending what it calls the dishonest practices of AM and FM radio stations, said