News Capsules for the Acoustic Community
U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) and Sam Brownback (R-Kansas), chief sponsors of the “Internet Radio Equality Act†in the Senate, are vowing to press forward with it if webcasters and SoundExchange, the performance rights organization, have not reached a compromise agreement with respect to royalty rates by Labor Day. [To read the entire article, click on the headline].
Tommy Makem, a singer-songwriter and storyteller who played a major role in popularizing Irish folk music in America, as well as in his native Ireland, died of lung cancer Wednesday at his Dover, New Hampshire home. Widely regarded as the godfather of Irish music, Makem, 74, regaled audiences with traditional Irish songs and stories for more than half a century, as well as his own ballads like “Four Green Fields†and “Gentle Annie,†sung in his rich baritone, while accompanying himself on the banjo and tin whistle. [To read the entire article, click on the headline].
Webcasters have received what appears to be at least a temporary reprieve from what some considered to be onerous new royalty rates that could have led some online radio stations to cease playing music. A recording royalty rate increase imposed by the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) will not take effect on July 15, as scheduled. During a hearing on Thursday before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Energy and Commerce, SoundExchange, the sole administrative entity designated by the U.S. Copyright Office to collect and distribute performance royalties that are owed artists and labels, indicated that it would hold off on enforcing the new rates as it continues to negotiate with webcasters. [To read the entire article, click on the headline].
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has denied an emergency stay sought by the Digital Media Association, National Public Radio and a group of small commercial webcasters to block a recording royalty rate increase imposed on webcasters by the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB). “This situation is grave, but that makes the message all the simpler and more serious,†maintains the SaveNetRadio Coalition in an action alert posted on its Website (savenetradio.org) today. The coalition is encouraging its supporters to call their U.S. Senators and Representatives to urge their support for bringing the Internet Radio Equality Act to the floor for an immediate vote. [To read the entire article, click on the headline].
The 20th Annual International Folk Alliance Conference is slated for next February 20-24 in Memphis, Tennessee, while regional conferences of the North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance (Folk Alliance) are shaping up for this fall. Designed for performing artists, presenters, agents and managers, folk DJs, folk societies and clubs, media, and others engaged in the folk music field, these conferences provide useful and enjoyable opportunities to learn, network and share music. Booking gigs is the primary objective of some performers who attend these annual conferences, while many presenters and folk DJs come primarily to scout out new artists and those who they have not previously heard and seen in live performance. However, the conference experience is much more than that; it’s really about forging connections and building an acoustic community. Although artist showcases and educational workshops and panel discussions are common to all of them, the regional conferences hosted by Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM), Southwest Regional Folk Alliance (SWRFA), Folk Alliance Canada, Folk Alliance Region West (FAR-West) and Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) all have their own tenor and style. [To read the entire article, click on the headline].
Calling for “fair pay for airplay†and expressing its collective belief that artists should be compensated when their music is broadcast over the air, a new coalition of U.S. recording artists and music industry organizations announced the launch of musicFIRST (Fairness in Radio Starting Today) on June 14. The move comes as a battle still rages over the Copyright Royalty Board’s decision to raise Internet radio royalty rates (as previously reported here). [To read the entire article, click on the headline].
The Digital Media Association, National Public Radio and a group of small commercial webcasters filed a joint petition seeking an emergency stay of a recording royalty rate increase imposed on webcasters by the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB). Last week’s filing with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit was prompted by concern that pending bills in Congress to repeal the rate increase may not be brought to a vote in either chamber by July 15, the day on which initial payments are due under the newly increased rates. [To read the entire article, click on the headline. For more background on this issue, see The Future of Internet Radio May Hinge on Royalty Rates Increase, posted May 9 on the Home Page and in the News-U.S. National and Acoustic Radio Waves sections].
There’ll be lots of planned and spontaneous jamming and singing of socially relevant songs when the People’s Music Network for Songs of Freedom and Struggle (PMS/SFS) holds its annual summer gathering, June 1-3, at Epworth Camp and Retreat Center in High Falls, New York. Also on the weekend’s agenda are topical song swaps, a variety of workshops and political discussions, and plenty of opportunities to just mix and mingle and enjoy the camp’s 160 acres of woods and meadows along the Rondout Creek, nestled between the Catskill and Shawangunk mountains. [To read the entire article, click on the headline].
Some 70 million Americans currently listen to online radio each month, according to Nielsen Media Research and a Bridge Ratings study. And many independent artists have come to rely on it as a key way of gaining exposure for their music that they would not otherwise get through commercial broadcast radio. But just how many webcasters (particularly nonprofits and small organizations) will be playing music in the near future -- and the diversity of styles that will be heard -- may well depend on the outcome of a currently raging battle royale over Internet royalty rates. {To read the entire article, click on the headline].
Luminaries from the folk music world honored living legend Odetta, one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, with a special tribute and concert on March 24.
The World Folk Music Association’s 22nd Annual Benefit Concert, held at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and A song from Glen Roethel’s forthcoming release is chosen to appear in the new Unity songbook -- Special Services and Chants, Volume 2 -- that is due out in June… Michael Kornfeld, editor & publisher of AcousticMusicScene.com, is a panelist at the 67th Annual IBS International Radio, TV, Webcasting & Podcasting Conference… [For more details, click on the title in red].
Winners of the 2nd Annual Folk Alliance Awards were recognized during an awards ceremony at the just-concluded 19th Annual North American Folk Music & Dance Alliance International Business Conference in Memphis, Tenn. And the winners are… Folk DJ: Gene Shay, WXPN (Philadelphia) Song of the Year: “Seems So Real,†Chris Smither Traditional Release of the Year: Bruce Springsteen, We Shall Overcome – The Seeger Sessions Contemporary Release of the Year: Wailin’ Jennys, Firecracker [To see the full list of winners, click on the tile in red].
