LOS ANGELES, CA (April 16, 2007)—The
American Federation of Television and Radio Artists praised the
decision today by the Copyright Royalty Board denying webcasters'
request for a rehearing on the ruling that set payments to artists for
use of sound recordings on the Internet. "AFTRA
recording artists applaud the Copyright Royalty Board for upholding
their decision on Internet radio," said Kim Roberts Hedgpeth, AFTRA
National Executive Director. "When artists perform music, they create a
product. They deserve to be paid fairly for the use of the creativity,
talent, and hard work they put into making that product. Internet radio
is growing and successful because fans want to listen to the music
created by artists. The CRB's decision recognizes that as these
businesses grow, both featured and non-featured artists should be
compensated at fair market rates for their contributions to the growth
of these services." The
ruling—handed down by the Copyright Royalty Board, a three-judge panel
appointed by the U.S. Copyright Office—upholds royalty rates from 2006
to 2010 that Internet webcasters such as AOL and Yahoo have to pay
artists and labels for the use of their music. AFTRA
represents royalty artists and session singers who work with more than
1,200 recording companies, including the four major labels—Sony/BMG,
Warner, EMI, and Universal Music Group—and most of their subsidiary
labels through the AFTRA Sound Recordings Code, a nationwide agreement
in place since the early 1950s.
