Saturday, June 20, 2009
Time:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Location:
The Student Union Center at Texas Southern University (1st Floor)
Street:
3100 Cleburne Street
City/Town:
Houston, TX
From Shelia Jackson-Lee
This Town Hall meeting will address the concerns and bring clarity to the H.R. Bill 848 " Performance Rights Act"
-There will be a panel of several artist who are in support of such legislation and will bring clarity to the purpose of the Bill including: Big Daddy Kane, Paul Wall, the 4 Tops, Take 6, and a others.
-This Bill by all means isn't designed to shut-down black radio as its been rumored to do so.
This for all Performing Artist, Musicians, Music Experts, Elected Officials, and the General Public.
Please RSVP to attend this Town Hall meeting by calling the office at 713-655-0050 or call Bronson E. Woods direct at 713-751-1864.
Statement from Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee
Washington, DC- If we do nothing, we fail. We must be crusaders for justice. This is not a bill to close minority and women-owned businesses. Quite the contrary, this is a bill to help the people whose music makes us laugh, dance, sometimes sing and shout for joy because of the praise they provide us. For nearly one hundred years, the scales have been imbalanced. There was no justice for older artists and certainly no justice for today’s recording artists on the issue we are discussing today. It is my intent to work with everyone. Also, my support for this bill does not detract from my record on other legislation such as the bill getting rid of disparities between powder cocaine and crack cocaine sentencing, my work on financial literacy, and criminal justice reform, voting rights, and healthcare reform.
I co-sponsored H.R. 848, the "Performance Rights Act" because I believe in fairness, equity, and justice. I have great love and affection for my friends who own broadcasting companies because they are involved in this great radio industry.
However, the law that permits our gospel artists, R & B, Hip Hop, jazz and other good musicians from getting just compensation has not been changed sine 1909. Only Iran, China and North Korea join the United States of America in preventing artists from being compensated.
Therefore my vote was to equalize the rights of performers like the Four tops, the Temptations, Kirk Franklin, Yolanda Adams, Martha Reeves, Harry Belafonte, Herbie Hancock, Archie Bell and the Drells, Kanye West, Beyonce and those lesser known and new artists such as your aspiring son or daughter trying to get in the music business.
People in the music industry have inspired us and comforted us. As Members of Congress, we need to act to help them. It is only fair and equitable that artists who have their music played on the radio be compensated.
This bill allows for an affordable payment for small, rural, nonprofit, minority, religious and educational broadcasters. Under this legislation, smaller stations will pay only $500.00 annually for unlimited use of music.
Moreover, this legislation provides that for radio stations below $5 million in capitalization, the bill would be in effect in 3 years. For larger radio stations, the bill would be phased in 1 year.
The bill provides a sliding scale of payment. For radio stations that are small, a flat $500 -$2,500 fee per year will be paid. Larger radio stations will be required to pay $5000 per year.
Radio stations such as KCOH and KTSU that are talk and non-profit will pay only $500 per year in royalties if the radio station has less than $100,000 in capitalization. Larger radio stations will pay $1000 per year.
I have been deeply concerned about the effects of this bill on small, women-owned, and minority-owned and operated radio stations. In fact as it relates to MWBEs and historically Black and Hispanic-serving radio stations, I have been consistent with detailed amendments on protecting MWBEs and insuring that they stay in business and even increase their business with the federal government. Specifically, I have included language in the legislation that would direct the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to carry out a study to evaluate the effect of this legislation on media diversity, including the impact on minority and women owned stations.
In addition, I have submitted a letter to the GAO, along with Chairman Conyers, requesting that the GAO complete a study to ascertain the effects of the new fee setting parameters on these radio stations. The letter was sent out today and should be completed within six months. This letter will help provide a study by which the effectiveness of this legislation can be determined. This is important because the legislation has not been brought to the floor of the House and it has not been enacted.
Because of my leadership on this bill, Congress has included the benefit of making the fees effective in three years of enactment of this legislation. Larger radio stations will be required to pay the fees required under this legislation in one year of enactment.
The radio stations in Houston are protected by my leadership on this issue. Know that my door is always open. I am willing to work with the radio stations and the artists. I want us all to work together to determine a solution. We must work together.
My question is, "How much joy does music provide to the listener?" Music provides artistry, talent, innovation. For too long, our artists have been driven into poverty. This legislation seeks to provide justice to the songwriters and to the singers. It fixes the antiquated system our singers and gospel artists have been working under. These artists should be compensated. This bill provides the music artists with the compensation that is required for the rendering of their artistry.
I have included language in the bill to ensure that any fees set by the Copyright Royalty Board and the Copyright Royalty Judges will take into account small, women-owned, and minority-owned, and religious broadcasting stations. These stations will not go out of business. I am very concerned about the small, local radio stations.
I am pleased that the newly added amendment stresses the importance of equality and the necessity for platform parity. Platform parity is the notion that artists will receive royalty payments across all platforms (i.e., internet, satellite radio, and other subscriber servers).
I would add that this bill is a first start. Artists should receive remuneration for their work. Indeed, under copyright law, owners of copyrights are entitled to royalty payments that is our basic copyright system. Did you know that basketball games, baseball games, and other sports events all receive payments from radio broadcast stations? So singers and writers are simply asking us to be fair.
I strongly believe that this is the fair and equitable way to solve this issue and I look forward to working with my friends in the radio broadcasting industry, because I believe we all can get along, and I know they too believe in the value of justice!
A note from the Musician's Union in Houston:
Greetings Everyone,
This is an official request for your presence to attend a special town hall meeting this Saturday, June the 13th [EDITOR: CHANGED TO JUNE 20th, see top of page] at TSU- exact location forth coming, from 1:30 to 3:30.pm
This is an effort to support Congresswoman Sheila Jackson- Lee, who is on the House Judiciary Committee for bill HR 848; which is legislation so that when musicians, singers, or any artist music is played over the radio, they will be compensated. Presently when your music is heard over the radio, you as an artist do not receive a dime. This legislation will correct that.
I don't usually ask our members to do things like this, but Congresswoman Jackson-Lee has gone over and beyond supporting this legislation for us. Now she needs our support. Several of the small radio stations are putting out false allegations that she is trying to shut them down. This town hall meeting is to set the record straight; I will be there on a panel discussion with Jackson-Lee, and some other famous artists that will be flown in to participate in this discussion. We need your support, so if you are free please plan on coming out to help make this discussion fruitful.
I will be forwarding the exact location for the meeting as well as more information about the bill as soon as I know it.
I would very much like to call and talk to each of you, but I just don't have enough time to do that to make this all happen.
I would appreciate very much if each of you would call some of your friends and colleagues to show up as well as support this important event in the lives of working musicians.
Please feel free to call me on my cell at 281- 460-8483 if you have any questions.
Thank You,
Madam Prez
Lovie Smith-Wright