Could Performance Rights Act Chill Country’s Close Artist/Radio Relationships?
After last month’s Academy of Country Music Awards, there were quite a few discussions about why almost none of the winning artists thanked radio from the stage. One reader went as far as to suggest that labels are actually coaching their artists not to publicly thank radio because of the Performance Rights Act. While that scenario seems hard to imagine in the country format at this point, labels are certainly aware that anything their artists say could be used against them on the legislative battlefield. At last fall’s Country Music Assn. Awards, Darius Rucker, after winning the best new artist award, thanked radio saying, “You took a chance on a pop singer from Charleston, S.C., and God bless you for that.” The very next day, the National Assn. of Broadcasters—which staunchly opposes the Performance Rights Act—issued a press release stating, “Rucker’s praise for radio comes as the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) continues to push Congress to support legislation that
