musicFIRST Takes Shot At iHeartMedia Over Performance Royalty Before New York Jingle Ball

Royalty Advocate

musicFIRST Chairman JOE CROWLEY's campaign to promote the American Music Fairness Act, the bill to create a performance royalty for radio airplay, took aim at iHEARTMEDIA on the eve of the iHEARTRADIO JINGLE BALL's NEW YORK tour stop TONIGHT (12/10).

A statement issued by CROWLEY, the former Congressman from NEW YORK, charged that while "iHEARTRADIO clearly loves CHRISTMAS" because it makes "tens of millions in advertising dollars" from CHRISTMAS music and sells tickets for its JINGLE BALL concerts, it does not pay the artists that enable the company to make that money.

“Like Scrooge," CROWLEY writes, "iHEART hoards its profits while middle-class music creators cannot pay their bills. Wealthy broadcasters such as iHEARTRADIO make no secret of their financial dominance. They crow on earnings calls about soaring advertising revenue and stock buybacks. Yet, they offer nothing to our music creators." CROWLEY concludes that the American Music Fairness Act is "a simple and just solution and "the right thing to do."

iHEARTMEDIA declined comment when contacted by ALL ACCESS. Top 40 WHTZ (Z100)/NEW YORK's JINGLE BALL will air live on iHEART Top 40 stations and will live stream on THE CW's app and website; THE CW wil air the show as a TV special next WEDNESDAY (12/15) and on CHRISTMAS DAY (12/25).

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