21 May 2013

Performance Rights Act – my two cents on HR 848

The Performance Rights Act is up for a vote this week. Speaking as a performer, the premise of this Act is long overdue, that performers deserve to be paid for their work  every time their performance is played on air by terrestrial radio. But from what I’ve seen and heard, I have questions that the [...]

097 – Performance Rights Act Part 2

Recorded 31 March 2009 Here’s the second half of the interview with Singer-Songwriter Alice Peacock and Founder and President of  Alligator Records Bruce Iglauer about HR-848, the Performance Rights Act. Among the topics we discuss this episode: Studio musicians and their role in performance rights 50% of terrestrial radio stations don’t play new music The [...]

096 – Performance Rights Act Part 1

Recorded 31 March 2009 This episode is the first half of an interview with Alice Peacock, singer-songwriter and past president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) and Bruce Iglauer, Founder and President of Alligator Records, the world’s largest independent Blues Record Label. Some of what we discuss in this episode of [...]

Who Do You Want To Pay For Your Music?

Well, it’s happened. Spain has announced that beginning July 1, it’s instituting a special anti-piracy tax called the Digital Canon, according to an article on Billboard.biz. It puts a tax on gadgets that can copy, record or store sounds and images. Yes, I said store too. Sounds like a new spin on the old sin [...]

Regulation, Like the Internet, is a Tool

Equally important as what is regulated is how it’s made compliant The first question is what is regulated? The knee jerk response is the technology, but that’s not what would be most effective here. The technology is already regulated at least partially, by what is and isn’t allowed beyond certain borders. The technology also changes [...]