WASHINGTON -- House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Emeritus John Dingell (D-MI) and Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) have become the latest House co-sponsors of a bipartisan Congressional resolution opposing a performance tax on local radio stations. The Local Radio Freedom Act (H. Con. Res. 49), which opposes "any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge," is now backed by 258 House lawmakers, 40 more than a House majority.
The growing Congressional opposition comes as the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) continues to lobby in support of legislation that would require local radio stations to pay an additional fee for every song aired free to listeners.
Underscoring the importance of radio airplay, pop musician Chris Brown recently recorded an online audio message essentially begging his fans to keep him relevant with radio airplay. "Some radio station's aren't playing my records," Brown told his fans in the audio message. "They're not being as supportive, and I wouldn't expect them too. ... My singing, my music, it's all great, and I do it for y'all, and I do it for the love and everything else, but it won't be possible if I'm not relevant on the radio."
Yesterday also brought an end to a lawsuit filed by Pink Floyd against their London-based record label, EMI Group, over online royalty payments and the sale of single tracks. According to news reports, the court decision will prevent EMI from selling single downloads from the band's albums. The outcome of the royalty issue was delivered in private after EMI submitted an application citing commercial confidentiality, according to The Financial Times.
Pink Floyd is the latest group in a long line of musicians who have filed lawsuits against their record label to recoup allegedly unpaid royalties, including the Beatles, Cher, Dr. Dre, Eminem, and the estates of Count Basie and Benny Goodman.
The 258 House cosponsors of the Local Radio Freedom Act include:
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Robert Aderholt (AL-4) John Adler (NJ-3) 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) Brian Baird (WA-3) Gresham Barrett (SC-3) John Barrow (GA-12) Roscoe Bartlett (MD-6) Melissa Bean (IL-8) Shelley Berkley (NV-1) Marion Berry (AR-1) Judy Biggert (IL-13) Brian Bilbray (CA-50) Gus Bilirakis(FL-9) Sanford Bishop (GA-2) Roy Blunt (MO-7) John Boccieri (OH-16) 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) Robert Brady (PA-1) 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) Vern Buchanan (FL-13) Michael Burgess (TX-26) Dan Burton (IN-5) Steve Buyer (IN-4) John Campbell (CA-48) Shelly Moore Capito (WV-2) Ken Calvert (CA-44) Anh "Joseph" Cao (LA-2) Mike Capuano (MA-8) Dennis Cardoza (CA-18) Russ Carnahan (MO-3) Christopher Carney (PA-10) Andre Carson (IN-7) John Carter (TX-31) Bill Cassidy (LA-6) Michael Castle (DE-AL) Ben Chandler (KY-6) Travis Childers (MS-1) William Lacy Clay (MO-1) Mike Coffman (CO-6) 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) Elijah Cummings (MD-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) John Dingell (MI-15) Joe Donnelly (IN-2) Steve Driehaus (OH-1) John Duncan (TN-2) Chet Edwards (TX-17) Vernon Ehlers (MI-3) Brad Ellsworth (IN-8) Jo Ann Emerson (MO-8) Bob Etheridge (NC-2) Mary Fallin (OK-5) Chaka Fattah (PA-2) John Fleming (LA-4) Jeff Fortenberry (NE-1) |
Bill Foster (IL-14) Virginia Foxx (NC-5) Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ-11) Scott Garrett (NJ-5) Elton Gallegly (CA-24) Jim Gerlach (PA-6) Gabrielle Giffords (AZ-8) 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) Gregg Harper (MS-3) Alcee Hastings (FL-23) Doc Hastings (WA-4) Dean Heller (NV-2) Wally Herger (CA-2) Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (SD-AL) Baron Hill (IN-9) Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15) Pete Hoekstra (MI-2) Tim Holden (PA-17) Duncan Hunter (CA-52) Bob Inglis (SC-4) Lynn Jenkins (KS-2) Timothy Johnson (IL-15) Walter Jones (NC-3) Jim Jordan (OH-4) Steve Kagen (WI-8) Marcy Kaptur (OH-9) Dale Kildee (MI-5) Mary Jo Kilroy (OH-15) Ron Kind (WI-3) Jack Kingston (GA-1) Mark Kirk (IL-10) Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-1) Larry Kissell (NC-8) John Kline (MN-2) Frank Kratovil (MD-1) Doug Lamborn (CO-5) Leonard Lance (NJ-7) Rick Larsen (WA-2) Tom Latham (IA-4) Steve LaTourette (OH-14) Robert Latta (OH-5) Jerry Lewis (CA-41) 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) Ben Ray Lujan (NM-3) Cynthia Lummis (WY-AL) Daniel Lungren (CA-3) Don Manzullo (IL-16) Kenny Marchant (TX-24) Betsy Markey (CO-4) Jim Matheson (UT-2) Carolyn McCarthy (NY-4) Michael McCaul (TX-10) Tom McClintock (CA-4) Patrick McHenry (NC-10) Mike McIntyre (NC-7) Howard McKeon (CA-25) Mike McMahon (NY-13) Cathy McMorris Rogers (WA-5) Kendrick Meek (FL-17) Charlie Melancon (LA-3) Michael Michaud (ME-2) Brad Miller (NC-13) Candice Miller (MI-10) Gary Miller (CA-42) Jeff Miller (FL-1) Walt Minnick (ID-1) Harry Mitchell (AZ-5) Alan Mollohan (WV-1) Dennis Moore (KS-3) Jerry Moran (KS-1) Sue Myrick (NC-9) |
Randy Neugebauer (TX-19) Devin Nunes (CA-21) Glenn Nye (VA-2) James Oberstar (MN-8) Pete Olson (TX-22) Solomon Ortiz (TX-27) Bill Owens (NY-23) Frank Pallone (NJ-6) Erik Paulson (MN-3) Bill Pascrell (NJ-8) Ron Paul (TX-14) Mike Pence (IN-6) Tom Perriello (VA-5) Tom Petri (WI-6) Pedro Pierluisi (PR-At Large) Joe Pitts (PA-16) Todd Platts (PA-19) Ted Poe (TX-2) Earl Pomeroy (ND-AL) Bill Posey (FL-15) David Price (NC-4) Tom Price (GA-6) Adam Putnam (FL-12) George Radanovich (CA-19) Nick Rahall (WV-3) Charles Rangel (NY-15) Dennis Rehberg (MT-AL) Dave Reichert (WA-8) Silvestre Reyes (TX-16) Phil Roe (TN-1) Harold Rogers (KY-5) Mike Rogers (AL-3) Mike Rogers (MI-8) Dana Rohrabacher (CA-46) Peter Roskam (IL-6) Mike Ross (AR-4) Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-18) Edward Royce (CA-40) Dutch Ruppersberger (MD-2) Bobby Rush (IL-1) Paul Ryan (WI-1) Tim Ryan (OH-17) John Sarbanes (MD-3) Steve Scalise (LA-1) Mark Schauer (MI-7) Jean Schmidt (OH-2) Aaron Schock (IL-18) Allyson Schwartz (PA-13) David Scott (GA-13) Pete Sessions (TX-32) Joe Sestak (PA-7) John Shimkus (IL-19) Carol Shea-Porter (NH-1) Heath Shuler (NC-11) Bill Shuster (PA-9) Mike Simpson (ID-2) Albio Sires (NJ-13) Ike Skelton (MO-4) Adrian Smith (NE-3) Christopher Smith (NJ-4) Zack Space (OH-18) Mark Souder (IN-3) John Spratt (SC-5) Cliff Stearns (FL-6) Bart Stupak (MI-1) John Sullivan (OK-1) Harry Teague (NM-2) Lee Terry (NE-2) Mike Thompson (CA-1) Glenn Thompson (PA-5) "Mac" Thornberry (TX-13) Todd Tiahrt (KS-4) Pat Tiberi (OH-12) Dina Titus (NV-3) Mike Turner (OH-3) Fred Upton (MI-6) Peter Visclosky (IN-1) Greg Walden (OR-2) Timothy Walz (MN-1) Lynn Westmoreland (GA-3) Ed Whitfield (KY-1) Charlie Wilson (OH-6) Joe Wilson (SC-2) Rob Wittman (VA-1) Frank Wolf (VA-10) Don Young (AK-At Large) |
The Local Radio Freedom Act's 27 Senate cosponsors are:
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John Barrasso (WY) Max Baucus (MT) Jeff Bingaman (NM) Christopher Bond (MO) Sam Brownback (KS) Richard Burr (NC) Thad Cochran (MS) Susan Collins (ME) Mike Crapo (ID) |
Michael Enzi (WY) Judd Gregg (NH) Kay Hagan (NC) James Inhofe (OK) Johnny Isakson (GA) Mike Johanns (NE) Tim Johnson (SD) Mary Landrieu (LA) Joseph Lieberman (CT) |
Blanche Lincoln (AR) Benjamin Nelson (NE) Jim Risch (ID) Pat Roberts (KS) Olympia Snowe (ME) Jon Tester (MT) John Thune (SD) David Vitter (LA) Roger Wicker (MS) |
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