#IRespectMusic I got a statement today. It’s nice to know that people are buying my music and I get to make money. Of course, I also realize that I would be making more money if I lived elsewhere in the world. Why is that? Well, that’s because musicians don’t get paid the public performance royalty for AM/FM radio in the United States that musicians have enjoyed around the world for as long as anyone can remember. We unfortunately share this distinction with such culture-loving nations as Iran, North Korea, China, Vietnam and Rwanda. The reason something like this is important is because it allows the middle class musician to make a living. That’s a good thing for the culture at large - the health and the degree to which a nation supports the arts and humanities is an excellent barometer of its values. It’s an area in which a country like ours should lead, and doesn’t. So, we live in a world turned upside-down if you’re a musician. There are powerful interests that literally want to make money off our product and… not pay for it. Let me know when you encounter that in any other business. Somebody ought to fix this right? Well somebody is trying to and I’m happy to support the cause. Blake Morgan has started the website IRespectMusic – its intention is to fight for the public performance royalty for artists and musicians in the United States. I’m a supporter because my eyes have been opened since my record received airplay and I never saw a cent from the performing rights organization I am affiliated with. It’s thorny and legal and complicated in many ways but it would seem a fairly straight forward thing. If you make something and other people use it and make money off of it, you should be entitled to a piece of the pie. We’re a wholesaler. Nobody’s asking for a handout, but we are asking for the same thing anyone would make everywhere but Iran etc. There has been tremendous response to what Blake is up to, so if there are issues at the website, keep trying. There is a petition to sign there if you feel so inclined. My advice would be to look into Blake and what he’s been doing and get a handle on the issue, but I think you’ll be won over by a truly just cause.
Posted on: Tue, 28 Jan 2014 21:38:04 +0000
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