The proposed "radio royalty" battle's newest weapons - sausage pizzas & a giant inflatable pig
If you were driving past the National Association of Broadcaster’s offices in Washington, DC today, you would have driven right past an 18-foot long and over a story-tall pink pig (picture courtesy of The Hill), bearing the statement “Fair Pay for Musicians.” The pig is the latest salvo fired by supporters of the Performance Rights Act, in an effort to get radio stations to pay added royalties for the music they play. Not to be outdone, the NAB handed out sausage pizza to the protesters. NAB EVP Dennis Wharton tells The Hill, “We're suggesting they provide this food to the scores of exploited musicians who have had to sue their record label to recoup allegedly unpaid album royalties.” This week’s events follow the press conference held by singer Dionne Warwick in favor of the proposed royalty tax, and a mid-week rally by DC-area broadcasters.
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An FM tuner is "the #1 accessory" for the iPod, says RAB chief Jeff Haley in this morning's keynote speech in Atlanta. He urges the industry to set a goal of having an FM on "every PDA and cellphone." Haley didn't just talk about the new devices that were showcased at last month's CES - he demonstrated them, using working models, including a Dual in-car unit that transmits timely traffic and other info to the dashboard with MSN and (in Atlanta) Clear Channel. (That's Haley in the picture, at the controls.) Haley also talked up the Radio 2020 initiative, announced at last September's NAB Radio Show in Charlotte, to #1, address radio's concerns "head-on", to #2, "engage the industry and technology partners", and #3, to engage consumers who "need a little nudge to re-ignite the passion." Haley also delivered a strong endorsement of posting (guaranteeing delivery of audience to advertisers) and an "unprecedented joint venture with Katz and Interep" to market radio to new advertisers. He says radio "must speak with one voice" on the subject of electronic measurement - whatever the choice of systems is - and he says "we're our own toughest critic." But radio remains "the #2 most consumed medium in America."
