[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 5 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. CON. RES. 5

                Supporting the Local Radio Freedom Act.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 14, 2019

Mr. Barrasso (for himself, Mr. Heinrich, Mr. Boozman, Ms. Collins, and 
  Mr. Udall) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
   referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
                Supporting the Local Radio Freedom Act.

Whereas the United States enjoys broadcasting and sound recording industries 
        that are the envy of the world due to the symbiotic relationship that 
        has existed among these industries for many decades;
Whereas, for nearly a century, Congress has rejected repeated calls by the 
        recording industry to impose a performance fee on local radio stations 
        for simply playing music on the radio, as such a fee would upset the 
        mutually beneficial relationship between local radio and the recording 
        industry;
Whereas local radio stations provide free publicity and promotion to the 
        recording industry and performers of music in the form of radio airplay, 
        interviews with performers, introduction of new performers, concert 
        promotions, and publicity that promotes the sale of music, concert 
        tickets, ring tones, music videos, and associated merchandise;
Whereas committees in the Senate and the House of Representatives have 
        previously reported that ``the sale of many sound recordings and the 
        careers of many performers have benefitted considerably from airplay and 
        other promotional activities provided by both noncommercial and 
        advertiser-supported, free over-the-air broadcasting'';
Whereas local radio broadcasters provide tens of thousands of hours of essential 
        local news and weather information during times of national emergencies 
        and natural disasters, as well as public affairs programming, sports, 
        and hundreds of millions of dollars worth of time for public service 
        announcements and local fund raising efforts for worthy charitable 
        causes, all of which are jeopardized if local radio stations are forced 
        to divert revenues to pay for a new performance fee;
Whereas there are many thousands of local radio stations that will suffer severe 
        economic hardship if any new performance fee is imposed, as will many 
        other small businesses that play music, including bars, restaurants, 
        retail establishments, sports and other entertainment venues, shopping 
        centers, and transportation facilities; and
Whereas the hardship that would result from a new performance fee would hurt 
        businesses in the United States and ultimately the consumers in the 
        United States who rely on local radio for news, weather, and 
        entertainment, and such a performance fee is not justified when the 
        current system has produced the most prolific and innovative 
        broadcasting, music, and sound recording industries in the world: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), 
That Congress should not impose any new performance fee, tax, royalty, 
or other charge--
            (1) relating to the public performance of sound recordings 
        on a local radio station for broadcasting sound recordings over 
        the air; or
            (2) on any business for the public performance of sound 
        recordings on a local radio station broadcast over the air.
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