Performers, do you need a reminder that radio stations don’t pay for your music? The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) thinks you do.
That isn't a misprint. In the US, terrestrial radio stations don’t pay a performance royalty in connection with master recordings. In fact, they’ve never paid one, even though they use those recordings to make themselves rich.
By signing the Music Modernization Act in an Oval Office ceremony on October 11, President Trump enacted the first major changes to US copyright law since 1976.
That the creative community was able to agree on such a wide-ranging set of changes is one thing, and for the legislation to then survive attacks from SESAC and The Harry Fox Agency’s parent company The Blackstone Group, as well as from SiriusXM Radio is another all together. But now that celebrating the Act’s passage is over, the focus can turn to its implementation.
We know what the MMA is supposed to do, but what are the next steps?