Monday, November 29, 2010

Re-Visiting Performance Royalty Act...

Since Performance Royalty Act (PRA) talks blew up, there hasn't been much action but there has been a lot of talk. The talks fell apart just before the mid-term election when the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) released their terms for a deal that would include a limited performance fee of between 0.25% and 1% of a station's net annual revenue, and made the fees contingent on Congress requiring that all mobile devices include a radio chip. The Tennessean, pro-music organ out of Nashville - Music City, published a feature article yesterday calling PRA "An important issue for Middle Tennessee, because royalties could put hundreds of millions of dollars a year in the pockets of artists and record companies nationwide, according to an estimate by the Government Accountability Office (GAO)." ...

Tom Matzzie, a spokesman for musicFirst, responded to the NAB terms saying the broadcasters had rewritten a deal that had been agreed to during the summer. "It might even be worse for the music companies than the status quo" says Matzzie. NAB CEO Gordon Smith says that claims of a previously negotiated deal are "demonstrably false. If this were true why would our two sides have continued negotiations in August, September and October?" Neil Portnow, CEO of The Recording Academy fired off the latest salvo in a recent letter published in Billboard that, for the first time ever, "not a single artist thanked a radio station in his or her acceptance speech" during the academy's Grammy Awards telecast in January. The same can not be said for other award shows, it should be noted. So, what's next for the PRA???

The lame-duck session of Congress won't offer any help to the PRA stand-off and then will break for Christmas. In January, a new Congress takes over with a radically changed makeup in the House and Senate, which means that PRA will have to be presented to Congress all over again. Instead of re-negotiating PRA terms, the salvos coming from both sides will increase. Bet on it...

10 Timeline Memories:
1.1890] The military tradition begins: The first Army-Navy football game is played at West Point with the midshipmen of Navy stuffing the Cadets of Army 24-0. Highlights from last year's game...
2.1934] The NFL tradition begins: The Detroit Lions begin an annual NFL Thanksgiving Day tradition, dropping a 19-16 decision to da Bearsss. It was the first NFL game aired on national radio...
3.1948] Debuted on this date: "Kukla, Fran and Ollie" debuts on NBC-TV...1953] American Airlines begins the first regular commercial NY-LA air service. This video shows AA in action in the 30s...
4.1963] Warren Commission: LBJ names Chief Justice Earl Warren as head of a commission investigating the assassination of President John F. Kennedy...
5.1975] What's your name, who's your daddy?: Bill Gates names the company he and Paul Allen started as Microsoft, formed to write the BASIC computer language for the Altair...
6.1976] There's a reason he's called 'The Killer': Jerry Lee Lewis accidentally shoots his bass player twice in the chest while aiming at a soda bottle. The bass player survives but Dick Cheney takes note...
7.1976] Call him 'The Straw': Free agent Reggie Jackson aka "the straw that stirs the drink", signs a 5-year deal with the Yankees, helping the Bombers win 3 AL pennants and 2 world series championships...
8.1980] Record-breaker: The Georgia Bulldogs end the season unbeaten and untied following a 38-20 win over Georgia Tech as Herschel Walker breaks a freshman record with 1,616 rushing yards. #1 Georgia will beat #2 Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl and Walker wins the Heisman Trophy two years later...
9.1981] "Happy Trails": Natalie Wood drowns in a boating accident off Santa Catalina Island at the age of 43. Natalie who was with husband RJ and Christopher Walken, could not swim...1986] Legendary leading man Cary Grant dies of a stroke at 82...
10.2001] Loss of a Beatle: George Harrison loses his battle with cancer at 58. ..
Music Memories:

Remembering: Serious actor who would become a comic star - Leslie Nielsen, has passed away from complications from pneumonia. Nielsen died yesterday at the age of 84. Nielsen will always be remembered for this scene from the 1980 hit movie, Airplane...

Commentary:
The 2010 Third Annual New York Voiceover Mixer is coming up on Saturday, December 4 at Tonic, 727 Seventh Avenue in Manhattan. This is your chance to mingle with top voiceover industry people from around the world at the east coast's premiere networking event! Admission is free with your official RSVP by email. RSVP via Facebook will not guarantee admission. Click here for more information...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Mariano Rivera (41), Don Cheadle (46), Kim Delaney (51), Howard Johnson (50), Howie Mandel (55), Felix Cavaliere (68), Chuck Mangione (70), Vin Scully (83) and Minnie Minoso (88)...

Timeline Countdown: 2 days until Hanukah, 22 days until winter, 25 days until Christmas & 32 nights until New Year's Eve...

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