Recording artists claim their music is being boycotted over royalties

The fight over whether US terrestrial radio broadcasters should pay the same performers' royalties that Internet streaming radio broadcasters are paying, is getting extremely nasty. In a Facebook post this morning, the musicFIRST Coalition -- a group of recording artists who actively lobby in favor of equal royalties on all platforms -- stated it has filed a formal complaint with the Federal Communications Commission. In that complaint, the Coalition alleges that terrestrial broadcasters are actively boycotting airplay for its members' music.

As the Facebook post states, "According to the musicFIRST filing [with the FCC], one major radio group dropped a top selling artist's record after he spoke in support of performance rights legislation. The program director of a Florida radio station declined to add an artist's recordings to his station's playlist because the artist is listed as a member of the musicFIRST Coalition. Another director of programming told a representative of two prominent artists that the artist's support for the Performance Rights Act would have a 'chilling effect' on their relationship. And a Delaware radio station boycotted all artists affiliated with musicFIRST for an entire month."

The Associated Press is among those press organizations seeking the identities of the artists mentioned in the musicFIRST filing, asking artists themselves including U2's Bono whether they believe they're being boycotted. For now, the Coalition is withholding public comment. The group's complaint has yet to be made public, and a check of the FCC's comments database this morning yielded no new results from the Coalition.

In a very heated and very curious response this morning, the National Association of Broadcasters also acknowledged that the names of the allegedly boycotted artists have yet to be made public, although it then singled out Will.i.am, the lead singer of Billboard #1 group Black Eyed Peas. Will.i.am appeared before Congress last February, along with musicFIRST members and legendary artists Sheryl Crow, Herbie Hancock, Patti LaBelle, and others testifying in favor of a lifting of broadcast radio's decades-long exemption from performance royalties. The latest version of a bill to strike that exemption was introduced last February, although it's believed to have more than 50% opposition in the House of Representatives.

NAB Executive Vice President Dennis Wharton issued this response: "This allegation is nothing more than an act of desperation by a record label lobby losing on Capitol Hill and in the court of public opinion. On one hand, it highlights the unparalleled promotional value of free radio airplay, which has propelled countless artists to stardom. We would also note that Will.i.am, a vocal proponent of the performance tax, and his group Black Eyed Peas are currently Number 1 on Billboard's Pop 100 Airplay Chart with the song 'Boom Boom Pow.'"

But musicFIRST Executive Director Jennifer Bendall is countering that stations may be misusing their public mandate by taking sides in this dispute in such a public way, and is asking the FCC to consider punitive action with respect to their broadcast licenses. In her statement this morning, Bendall commented, "Even more offensive is the effort to silence artists through threats and retribution. No one should ever be penalized for working for what they think is right, for participating in the democratic process, for exercising their First Amendment right to correct a decades-old wrong. But that is just what these radio stations have done."

"These are the cases we know about," she added, ironically without giving anyone any clue as to what they know. "We can only imagine what may be happening under the cover of silence."