Clear Channel

Clear Channel asking artists to waive royalties again?

The newish blog TalentFilter is reporting that Clear Channel is once again after artists’ royalties. This time it’s in connection with a contest that L.A. station KYSR (Star 98.7) is sponsoring for bands. The contest promises the winner a spot on the station’s Star Lounge CD, a Star Lounge Concert at the Guitar Center Studio, and $10,000.

It’s only in the legalese of the contest rules that the real "prize" is revealed — it appears artists must waive their royalties to participate and allow Clear Channel to use their music in nearly any form. Here’s an excerpt of the language: read more

Speak up for media diversity in Chicago!

The public hearing is the fifth of six the FCC is holding around the country as it prepares to revise rules on broadcast ownership. Public hearings can be sleep inducing, but as they go this one couldn’t be more important. The FCC is reviewing limits on local television and radio ownership, limits on the cross-ownership of TV or radio stations and a newspaper in a particular market, and limits on television/radio cross radio ownership among other rules. read more

Indie artists and labels win major victory

We won.

Nearly two weeks ago, the Future of Music Coalition sent you an email announcing a new campaign to end a sneaky move by Clear Channel to not pay indie artists’ royalties. We are pleased to announce Clear Channel has capitulated in just 10 days. read more

Clear Channel's Greatest Hits: The media giant's long reach into the concert business

This week the Future of Music Coalition is taking on Clear Channel because the company is forcing local and indie artists to waive performance royalties to have their music considered for airplay on the chain’s stations.

What’s really angered us is that the move comes as part of a settlement of an FCC investigation into payola at Clear Channel stations. According to the terms of the deal, Clear Channel and other broadcasters must play 4,200 hours of local and independent music. So let’s recap: Clear Channel is investigated for payola and then they turn around and ask local and indie artists to give up something of value to get on the air. Kind of sounds like payola all over again, doesn’t it? read more

Clear Channel's Greatest Hits: Why Clear Channel's assault on performance royalties is significant

As we’ve exposed this week, Clear Channel is giving indie artists a raw deal by forcing them to give up performance royalties as a condition of getting airplay on its hundreds of stations. Remember, as a condition of its settlement with the FCC over payola allegations, Clear Channel and other broadcasters were required to play 4,200 hours of local and indie music. It’s replacing one form of a payola with another.

Sneaky. Greedy. Egregious. Any number of pejoratives could be used to describe the move, but it is especially troubling because digital performance royalties are becoming an ever more important source of revenue for artists as technological changes drive the way music is delivered. read more

FMC files FCC complaint against Clear Channel

July 13, 2007

Washington, D.C.— The Future of Music Coalition and Media Access Project today filed a formal complaint with the Federal Communications Commission requesting clarification that Clear Channel’s practice of forcing local and independent recording artists to waive potential royalties as a condition of having a song considered for broadcast airplay is tantamount to payola. read more

Clear Channel's Greatest Hits: Taking on Clear Channel's royalties grab

On Monday, we promised readers a week full of blog posts about Clear Channel forcing local and indie artists to give up performance royalties in order to be considered for airplay on their stations.

Each day we’ve written about Clear Channel’s actions and why — contrary to their claims — they are not on the side of artists. If you’re new to the posts, please scroll down to have a look at what we’ve written.

You’ll also remember we promised you (and Clear Channel) a special surprise at the end of the week. Here it is: read more

Clear Channel threatens indie artists

Two weeks ago, FMC sent out a press release and posted this blog entry that documents us catching Clear Channel red handed in an attempt to force indie artists to sign away their future performance royalties as a condition of consideration for radio airplay. What makes this truly unbelievable is the fact that they did this through the very same program that was set up as a condition of their payola settlement. read more

Clear Channel's Greatest Hits: How Clear Channel rules the airwaves and why it's bad for indie musicians

As we wrote about yesterday and in previous weeks, Clear Channel is attempting to strip indie artists of performance royalties in order to be considered for airplay on its stations.

As part of a settlement with the FCC following an investigation into payola allegations, Clear Channel and other major broadcasters agreed to air 4,200 hours of local and indie programming. Clear Channel set up a page on its station’s web sites that allowed indie artists to submit their music for airplay, but required them to check a licensing agreement that waives the artists’ performance rights. read more

Low power radio bill drops as Clear Channel causes more static

There were two very interesting — but related — developments on the radio front today. First, Congressman Mike Doyle (D-PA) and Lee Terry (R-Nebraska) announced this morning at a teleconference they would introduce a bill that would clear the way for the creation of low power FM radio stations in urban areas.

Given the shrinking playlists and bland programming brought about by radio consolidation over the last decade, low power FM has the potential to create radio that is truly radio: local voices, cutting edge music and genres that are not regularly heard on commercial radio (i.e. jazz and bluegrass).

Or as Indigo Girl Emily Saliers put it on the teleconference: read more