FM boosters

This REC Advisory Letter is to advise LPFM licensees of a pending rulemaking proceeding before the FCC.  This is an overview of the proceeding and our initial analysis of the impacts to LPFM and potential positions that will be taken by REC Networks in respect to this proceeding.  As with any proceeding, REC always welcomes the input from LPFM licensees, including those that REC has not worked with in the past to provide input. 

REC Networks has had a chance to review the language of the Ask Musicians For Music Act of 2019 or AM-FM Act as submitted by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-10).  

The intention of the bill is to put into place a method where the recording industry would obtain payment in connection with music played on terrestrial radio.  Historically, radio has been on a statutory exemption as it was perceived that radio acutally promotes music.  When you look at today's post 80-90 environment with stations so heavily narrowcasted and the lack of local talent (i.e. DJs) and more of a public expectation of "more music and less talk", especially when faced with competition by "non-radio" (streaming) services, with the exception of a small number of noncommercial and commercial stations that still care about the music, radio is not promoting music. When was the last time you heard a DJ say what label a certain song is on?  For many years now, the recording industry had relegated that task to Walmart.