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Peter Smyth Calls Out Congress' Performance Royalty Hearing
July 9, 2014 at 4:41 AM (PT)
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GREATER MEDIA Chairman/CEO PETER SMYTH took the gloves off when discussing the recent performance royalty hearings in Congress. In the latest posting on his From The Corner Office blog, SMYTH soon realized that the hearing was something of a set-up against radio.
"It was easy to see that the proverbial deck was stacked, with seven proponents of various music industry points of view outnumbering our two friends," he wrote. "Now, no one expected this hearing to be impartial, but what struck me was the tongue-lashing that radio took. We were repeatedly accused of unfairness of the highest order. Why? Because we continue to run our business as usual, which includes continuing our role as the most influential source of new music sales in the U.S.? Whether country, pop, hip-hop or rock, any musician knows that when they break on the radio, good things will happen to their career."
He concluded by noting that was radio was fortunate to go up against the general incompetence of the politicians themselves. "All of this grandstanding takes place in front of one of the most unproductive, do-nothing Congresses in the history of our country. While members ignore and dodge real questions about how to move our country forward, they waste time and energy playing for the cameras about music licensing. Do we need to keep pace with the digital revolution? Of course. But in the current atmosphere, self-interest and special interest have won out over common sense and the common good."
Read the entire blog here.

