You really have to beg the question, "When will these assholes give it up?" The only answer for that probably is, "Never." Sad too, because I can't imagine those corporate jackasses are actually happy with their lives. I mean, they really aren't happy with anything, because they're always trying to fuck things up. Let me tell you what our good friends at Clear Channel have been up to.
Clear Channel allows independent and local artists to submit music for air and online play. Normally artists get digital performance royalties if their music is streamed online. Clear Channel has decided to do away with this detail, opting for a solution that requires the artists to waive their performance royalties. Essentially, this means the artists get absolutely nothing out of it. Even worse, when the artists submit their material, it immediately gets placed under a "royalty-free non-exclusive right and license," which means Clear Channel can use the songs for other things besides air play and internet streaming. You and I know what those other things can encompass. Advertising, etc, etc.
You may also be asking, "why in the shit would an artist be interested in giving their music to Clear Channel and what the shit would Clear Channel want to do with indie music anyway?" Well, aside from the obvious answers (exposure, money sans digital performance royalties, etc.), earlier this year, CBS Radio, Clear Channel, and Entercom struck a deal with the American Association of Independent Music to set aside 8,400 half-hour blocks of air-time for local and indie artists. But why again was that "deal" struck anyway? Well, have you heard of payola before? Perhaps not lately with these particular broadcasters, because in addition to the blocks of air-time devoted to indie/local artists and a $12.5 million payment, the settlement for the recent payola scandal included no admission of wrongdoing.
I guess there was no scandal after all!
