WASHINGTON, DC -- Six more House members and four additional U.S. Senators have thrown their support behind a bipartisan resolution opposing "any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge" on local radio stations, NAB announced today. The resolution is designed to block the Recording Industry Association of America's effort to slap a new fee on radio stations for airing music free to listeners. Fifty percent of the new fee would go directly to the record label companies.
"Given the record labels' decades-long history of exploiting musicians for their own financial gain, lawmakers are growing increasingly skeptical over the RIAA's disingenuous claim that this new fee will benefit artists," said NAB Executive Vice President Dennis Wharton. "And with 50 percent of the new fee funneled directly into the coffers of the foreign-owned record labels, who can blame them?"
The Local Radio Freedom Act (H. Con. Res. 49), unveiled at a February Capitol Hill event hosted by the Free Radio Alliance, was introduced by Reps. Gene Green (TX-29) and Mike Conaway (TX-11). In March, an identical resolution was introduced in the Senate (S. Con. Res. 14) by Sens. Blanche Lincoln (AR) and John Barrasso (WY).
"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," reads The Local Radio Freedom Act.
Six senators have co-sponsored the Local Radio Freedom Act (S. Con. Res. 14), including four new co-sponsors: Sens. Sam Brownback (KS), Richard Burr (NC), Michael Enzi (WY), and Benjamin Nelson (NE).
Reps. Dan Boren (OK-2), John Campbell (CA-48), John Duncan (TN-2), Dennis Moore (KS-3), Ron Paul (TX-14), and William "Mac" Thornberry (TX-13) have all added their support to an identical resolution introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives (H. Con. Res. 49). The bipartisan House resolution now has 184 cosponsors, including:
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Robert
Aderholt (AL-4) Rob Andrews (NJ-1) Todd Akin (MO-2) Rodney Alexander (LA-5) Jason Altmire (PA-4) Mike Arcuri (NY-24) Steve Austria (OH-7) Michele Bachmann (MN-6) Spencer Bachus (AL-6) Gresham Barrett (SC-3) John Barrow (GA-12) Roscoe Bartlett (MD-6) Melissa Bean (IL-8) Marion Berry (AR-1) Judy Biggert (IL-13) Sanford Bishop (GA-2) Roy Blunt (MO-7) Jo Bonner (AL-1) John Boozman (AR-3) Dan Boren (OK-2) Leonard Boswell (IA-3) Charles Boustany (LA-7) Allen Boyd (FL-2) Kevin Brady (TX-8) Bruce Braley (IA-1) Bobby Bright (AL-2) Paul Broun (GA-10) Corrine Brown (FL-3) Henry Brown (SC-1) Ginny Brown-Waite (FL-5) Michael Burgess (TX-26) Dan Burton (IN-5) Steve Buyer (IN-4) John Campbell (CA-48) Shelly Moore Capito (WV-2) Mike Capuano (MA-8) Andre Carson (IN-7) John Carter (TX-31) Ben Chandler (KY-6) William Lacy Clay (MO-1) Tom Cole (OK-4) Mike Conaway (TX-11) Jerry Costello (IL-12) Joseph Courtney (CT-2) Ander Crenshaw (FL-4) Henry Cuellar (TX-28) John Culberson (TX-7) Artur Davis (AL-7) Danny Davis (IL-7) Geoff Davis (KY-4) Lincoln Davis (TN-4) Charles Dent (PA-15) Lincoln Diaz-Balart (FL-21) Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-25) Norm Dicks (WA-6) Joe Donnelly (IN-2) John Duncan (TN-2) Chet Edwards (TX-17) Vernon Ehlers (MI-3) Brad Ellsworth (IN-8) Jo Ann Emerson (MO-8) Mary Fallin (OK-5) |
Chaka
Fattah (PA-2) John Fleming (LA-4) Jeff Fortenberry (NE-1) Virginia Foxx (NC-5) Jim Gerlach (PA-6) Phil Gingrey (GA-11) Kay Granger (TX-12) Sam Graves (MO-6) Al Green (TX-9) Gene Green (TX-29) Parker Griffith (AL-5) Brett Guthrie (KY-2) Ralph Hall (TX-4) Deborah Halvorson (IL-11) Phil Hare (IL-17) Doc Hastings (WA-4) Dean Heller (NV-2) Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (SD-AL) Baron Hill (IN-9) Pete Hoekstra (MI-2) Tim Holden (PA-17) Duncan Hunter (CA-52) Lynn Jenkins (KS-2) Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30) Timothy Johnson (IL-15) Walter Jones (NC-3) Jim Jordan (OH-4) Steve Kagen (WI-8) Jack Kingston (GA-1) Larry Kissell (NC-8) John Kline (MN-2) Doug Lamborn (CO-5) Rick Larsen (WA-2) Steve LaTourette (OH-14) Robert Latta (OH-5) John Lewis (GA-5) John Linder (GA-7) Chris Lee (NY-26) Frank Lucas (OK-3) Frank LoBiondo (NJ-2) Dave Loebsack (IA-2) Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-9) Cynthia Lummis (WY-AL) Don Manzullo (IL-16) Kenny Marchant (TX-24) Betsy Markey (CO-4) Carolyn McCarthy (NY-4) Michael McCaul (TX-10) Tom McClintock (CA-4) Patrick McHenry (NC-10) John McHugh (NY-23) Mike McIntyre (NC-7) Cathy McMorris Rogers (WA-5) Michael Michaud (ME-2) Candice Miller (MI-10) Gary Miller (CA-42) Jeff Miller (FL-1) Walt Minnick (ID-1) Harry Mitchell (AZ-5) Dennis Moore (KS-3) Jerry Moran (KS-1) |
Sue
Myrick (NC-9) Randy Neugebauer (TX-19) Devin Nunes (CA-21) James Oberstar (MN-8) Pete Olson (TX-22) Solomon Ortiz (TX-27) Frank Pallone (NJ-6) Erik Paulson (MN-3) Bill Pascrell (NJ-8) Ron Paul (TX-14) Mike Pence (IN-6) Tom Petri (WI-6) Pedro Pierluisi (PR-At Large) Joe Pitts (PA-16) Todd Platts (PA-19) Ted Poe (TX-2) Bill Posey (FL-15) Tom Price (GA-6) Nick Rahall (WV-3) Charles Rangel (NY-15) Dennis Rehberg (MT-AL) Silvestre Reyes (TX-16) Harold Rogers (KY-5) Mike Rogers (AL-3) Mike Rogers (MI-8) Peter Roskam (IL-6) Mike Ross (AR-4) Dutch Ruppersberger (MD-2) Paul Ryan (WI-1) Tim Ryan (OH-17) Aaron Schock (IL-18) David Scott (GA-13) Pete Sessions (TX-32) John Shimkus (IL-19) Carol Shea-Porter (NH-1) Heath Shuler (NC-11) Bill Shuster (PA-9) Mike Simpson (ID-2) Adrian Smith (NE-3) Zack Space (OH-18) Mark Souder (IN-3) John Spratt (SC-5) Cliff Stearns (FL-6) Bart Stupak (MI-1) John Sullivan (OK-1) Lee Terry (NE-2) Mike Thompson (CA-1) Glenn Thompson (PA-5) "Mac" Thornberry (TX-13) Todd Tiahrt (KS-4) Pat Tiberi (OH-12) Mike Turner (OH-3) Fred Upton (MI-6) Peter Visclosky (IN-1) Greg Walden (OR-2) Lynn Westmoreland (GA-3) Ed Whitfield (KY-1) Charlie Wilson (OH-6) Joe Wilson (SC-2) Rob Wittman (VA-1) Don Young (AK-At Large) |
About
NAB
The National Association of Broadcasters is the premier advocacy association
for America's broadcasters. As the voice of more than 8,300 radio and
television stations, NAB advances their interests in legislative, regulatory
and public affairs. Through advocacy, education and innovation, NAB enables
broadcasters to best serve their communities, strengthen their businesses
and seize new opportunities in the digital age. Learn more at www.nab.org.