[…]Groups that advocate for musicians are happy to see the deal but they also believe it isn’t setting the right precedent. “Big Machine Records is an independent label with some superstar acts, so I imagine that some of those big name artists have considerable leverage and can get favorable terms in any deal,” says Casey Rae, who is with the non-profit music advocacy group Future of Music Coalition. “But it begs the question about all of the other artists out there who may not have that kind of bargaining power.”

Both Rae and Westergren think Congress needs to step in and create a standard royalty system that applies to terrestrial, satellite and Internet radio. Big Machine CEO Scott Borchetta agrees, and he hopes the deal his label just made sends a signal to legislators. “We want to show them that there is a way to do this. It’s very simple,” he says. “Let’s take care of the artists and the performers and stop the madness.”