About WWSU
WWSU 106.9 is an FCC licensed, student-run radio station broadcasting from the Student Union of Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. They are devoted to showcasing a variety of music with special emphasis on independent and local artists as well as providing a training ground for students wishing to pursue careers in broadcasting.
New legislation in Congress could drastically change music-industry economics. As it currently stands, musicians in the U.S. aren’t paid when their songs are played on the radio unless they wrote the songs, too. Only songwriters get radio royalties, not the folks who play and sing their tunes. Two bills moving through the House and Senate would change that, by making radio broadcasters pay royalties to musicians, too.
Radio broadcasters hate the idea of performance royalties — really, really hate it. They’re speaking up in Congress and on air.
November 24, 2009
A new report from Washington Research Group Concept Capital says that is it becoming less likely that the Performance Rights Act, which would force radio stations to pay royalties for playing music, will become law. In recent months, the House and Senate Judiciary Committees have approved the legislation, and a meeting was held between broadcasters and record labels to engage in mediated discussions over a possible compromise. However, Concept Capital says the odds are dropping for the legislation to pass in the 2009-10 Congress. The research group reduced its estimate from 60 percent to 40 percent odds of the bill passing in the next 12 months.
November 24, 2009
Arbitron has been invited to testify next Wednesday, December 2 in front of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The hearing will examine the PPM ratings service and discuss “whether the PPM technology and methodology accurately measure radio audiences and whether PPM has a disproportionately negative impact on radio stations owned by minorities or targeted toward minority listeners.”
Finally, for the first time ever, Internet radio stations have a royalty deal that is reasonably viable and extends for a reasonably-long period of time.
The specific part of the Internet radio industry that this particular deal saves are the webcasters who are (A) larger than hobbyists — i.e., who have aspirations of earning more than $1.25 million in revenues per year — but (B) are not wholly-owned divisions of multi-billion-dollar companies (e.g., AOL & Yahoo and CBS & other terrestrial broadcast groups).
Online radio audience grows to 42 million!
Last week Arbitron Inc. and Edison Research released their latest study “The Infinite Dial 2009.” This study showed that the usage rate of digital audio platforms, suck as online radio, iPods, podcasting, etc., has significantly increased since 2008. Interestingly enough, weekly online radio audience has grown to roughly 42 million Americans, up from 33 million in 2008.
Representatives from the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) met with members of Congress and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to reiterate the negative impact that local airplay royalties would have on local radio stations that provide free airplay to its 235 million weekly listeners.
ShareThe Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation voted in favor of the Local Community Radio Act of 2009, a bill that would allow for the expansion of Low Power FM stations by abolishing third-adjacent channel spacing requirements for full power FM outlets. The legislation has already made it through two key House committees and [...]
