AFL-CIO Supports Performance Rights

Yesterday the AFL-CIO Executive Council committed to righting a wrong – the lack of compensation to musicians and singers whose recorded music AM/FM radio broadcasters use to attract listeners and thus to sell advertising.

In “Fairness in Radio: A Performance Right for Sound Recordings,” the Executive Council called for enacting bills in Congress, H.R. 4789 and S. 2500, that would enable musicians and singers to receive compensation for terrestrial radio play of their recordings, as they already do for satellite and Internet use. The Council highlighted the inequity of compensating songwriters, but not vocalists and musicians. It pointed out that the United States is virtually alone among technologically advanced countries in denying compensation to these performers for terrestrial radio broadcasts of their recordings.

DPE President Paul E. Almeida is a member of the AFL-CIO Committee on Public Policy and Legislation. He accompanied AFM President Tom Lee and AFTRA President Roberta Reardon as they spoke in support of the resolution first to the Committee and then to the Executive Council. DPE staff worked with AFM and AFTRA in developing the resolution.

For the full text of the resolution, click on http://www.aflcio.org/aboutus/thisistheaflcio/ecouncil/ec03042008g.cfm