HELP SAVE BLACK RADIO

man this makes no sense this is ridiculous why on earth would u want to put black owned radio out of buisness and hes african american this is damn near worse then the situation luda had with limp o reilly you kno nutthin about this generation music so just leave it alone young people like to call into radio and express how they feel about any situation thats on there mind and you want to pass a bill and take that away,wow thats that bullshit

Of the top I think its a mistake to do away with black radio @ the same time both parties need to sit down & figure out the pros & cons of havin the stations operating @ a profit & not a loss.. Open Dialog is all that’s required..

THIS A BUNCH OF BULL SHIT!!! I BET HE WHITE IS HE WHITE I AIN’T READ THE FULL STORY! BUT I LOVE MUSIC IT’S MY LIFE I KEEP HEADPHONES ON MY HEAD WHERE EVER I GOOOOOOO I WRITE MUSIC I BEEN WRITEN FOR 8 YEARS BEEN IN LOVE WITH MUSIC SINCE I WAS LITTLE!!! MUSIC IS MY LIFE!! I GOTTA HIT THIS DUDE UP ASAP AND LET’EM NO WHATS REAL FOR REAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LIFER!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the hads up JD. That really is some bull shit, they dont want blacks to have anything. By not letting any black representation in lets me know that. can you make sure u touch on it on your you tube videos so thers can also know. we’re going to keep calling and sending emails until they get tired of it.

I will do my part!!!

He must be getting cash on the side for this bill, or heck he may be just crazy. Well, I just emailed his crazy a…
Thanks for the post JD.

Whaaat??!

Some of the greatest stations are owned by black owners. and why get rid of it when the majority of them try to help the up and coming aspiring rappers, future broadcasters, on tv personality. Some of these old folks so stuck in there own generation of living not knowing how much its changed since way back then.There is soo many other things in the black community that need to be solved way take away from it and make it worse..

I heard this on clear channel too. sounds like everyone is gonna get screwed on this one.

I heard this on my local station it is bad. I called and left a message. Sound off Yall!

DIS MAN IS INSANE.. ii sent him a email i hope he gets it and reads it and feels how deeply taking these radio stations out of buissness means to ppls lives. CRAZy ! SMfh

Honorable John Conyers:

I think we can’t allow bills to be passed that would help. What is up with a bill to make radio stations pay for playing records? What kinda non manufacturing BS this country going to come up with next trying to use the same $1 and put it in someone else pocket. Doesn’t create jobs it just moves money to the haves pockets, this is stupid.

this is his ghetto ass wife. smh

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZQLxVO-qjM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TvgtGlcdTE&feature=related

This is damn crazy !!!

First I will do my part by emailing and calling this guy. This will put a lot of people out of work, I mean the economy is already bad so you are going to put more people out of work thats real smart. This is a violation of the first amendment.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Okay, I think I heard about this bill in my class this semester. I believe record labels (and to some extent, artists) have been trying to find a way to collect from radio stations. Songwriters (and publishers) already receive mechanical rights fees so artists feel they should get public performance rights. Thus this bill. Obviously, with deeper pockets, labels have better and more lobbyists than the broadcasters. I think the bill is off. As mentioned, the bill is short-sided. Labels want so desperately to find more money (due to slumping album sales) that they would possibly put their best source of promotion out of business in the process.

Oh and I agree with Spock. I remember seeing an interview with Bob Johnson and he essentially said the same thing. Though I have to question why a person in his position is not doing much to change the status quo but whatever. I really do wish there was more ownership. Every time I hear about blacks not coming together I am reminded of the creation of DreamWorks studio. We have to do better with pooling our resources.

This bill is ass-backwards but I guess the lables figure they have to get the money from somewhere. The lables may have lobbyists, but we have votes. So lets get on the ball with those phone calls and emails.
With that said, if our communities combined both wealth and votes much the way the Jewish community does, we’d be unstoppable. As much as I hate to do it… I have to agree with Spock on this one. We’re never negotiating from a postion of power, not even with a black president, because we don’t make our money work for us.

I had to look into some John Conyers a little bit more aside from what is posted here, because his name sounded very familiar. I posted this response on the youtube video but I think that it needs to be said again.

JD, I got luv for you but please don’t disrespect our elders like that. We can disagree with this bill and make our voices heard without being disrespectful. Especially considering that he has introduced a bill that should be far more imortant to us. And that is Universal Haelthcare in the United States. This is a situation in which we have to have our priorities straight. Get some background information on John Conyers here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Conyers#cite_note-4 He isn’t perfect but he has put in work for us. You have every right to make your voice heard but be respectful about it.

-The United States National Health Insurance Act (Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act) (HR 676), is a bill submitted to the United States House of Representatives by Representative John Conyers, Jr., D-MI.

-After Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in 1968, Rep. John Conyers introduced the first bill in Congress to make King’s birthday a national holiday.

-Conyers has proposed House Resolution 288, which condemns “religious intolerance” but emphasizes on Islam as needing special protection from acts of violence and intolerance.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SPOCK!! I just want to say u have some very good points..i dont know all the negatives and positives to trying to start ur own entertainment entity, but i have always loved that comment by Spike Lee…I give props to Will Smith and Jada Pinkett (my bmore homegirl) for starting their own company Overbrook Entertainment so that they can bring the projects they want to the screen. I have always thought it would be a good idea for the major players in the recording industry to start their own company as well as their own stations…True, our voice is heard thru other controlling entities..Mtv ,,Bet etc..I wonder if the images we see would change if we had more control of the projects hmm thats food for thought…I think all in all in the industry now it all comes down to what sells..
,

Why are folks making this seem like it an attack specifically on “black radio?” This bill will affect ALL SMALL RADIO STATIONS! not just black owned. Also it’s a yearly fee they will have to pay and to me it seems that they will just have to increase their advertising sales in order to pay that fee. Yes, it’s a bullshit bill they are trying to pass, but it won’t affect a specific ethnic group.

THIS IS FUCKED..GOOD LOOKING ON POSTING THIS. I WILL REPOST ASAP..

@tami:
i agree. this doesn’t seem like a black radio issue but an issue of smaller stations who don’t have the muscle like major broadcast conglomerates (rupert murdock, anyone?). i agree that an artist and each and every person who worked on the project should be paid for their efforts, however, it knocks down the 1 sure entity that will get you those ends if you charge an ungodly amount of money just to get someone to play your work. i don’t get where the 50/50 comes into play here. it seems like that 50/50 doesn’t even go to the artist but to the label (correct me if i’m reading this wrong). so the station pays a license fee every year per artist then 50% goes to whom? and the other 50% goes to whom? and then the 1% of those fees are deposited by the copyright owner into a “fund” which is supposed to be trusted to distribute those funds to the other people affliated with that song? rep. conyers and rep. leahy have to hear the views from all involved in this because it can either bankrupt a station, force it to change it’s format to avoid the fees or it will wipe out potential consumers for the artist which will probably force a label to drop an artist because they aren’t recouping the ends spent putting that artist out in the 1st place.
ad revenue will have to be increased if this is going to work which means the station will have to play more ads which will be a turn off for the listeners and they, in turn, will change their station preference because no one enjoys listening to ads all the time on a radio station.

what up JD? this is just a copy of the Email that I sent to Mr. Conyers…

I am 100% percent against your bill. I don’t understand why with the present economic situation of the USA would somebody in a power position propose to make Foreign owned radio companies rich off of our people and our talent. This doesn’t make sense to me. Black people in America don’t have much as it is and you are trying to take that away. Every since our people came to this country one thing that has stood out and set us apart from any other people was our music/creativity.

This bill is just another way for YOU the government to kick the African American People while we are down!!!

hey JD…….it’s ya boi Crimson Beast aka Blaze. and i totally agree with what your saying about this bill. i mean no more Black Radio???? i mean what the fuck???? why do something and you obviously know very little about???? i mean black radio has it’s purposes: providing music of every genre, gospel, r&b, rap, and so forth. i mean every music has a message that they are trying to spread to the community and for this guy to come and strip it away from us it is insane. so by all means necessary we have to stand up for this or else we will lose the very foundation of spreading the message to everyone. i mean it serves as a outlet for conversations of the intellectual purposes, radioplay of the top artists and new, and nobody should put the bind or limit the black radio enterprises. so JD u have my support on this issue and thats without a doubt.

Read this and you should have more clarity on exactly what’s going on. http://www.radioink.com/Article.asp?id=1321633&spid=24698

i think it’s not fair what so ever? we all should be treated EQUAL! hell with the race, color, gender, str8, bi, gay, lesbian, religion, etc.! we all are EQUAL! i think it’s B.S. that they want 2 do this! I will pray that the bill don’t pass, and it get’s throwin out before it can even get looked @! i will pass this site out on all of my twitters, and will make a video about this site! i hope by us all standing together we can stop this bill, and any other bill from passing! Thank to SonnyMacWorld for this website on her twitter!

There’s a lot of misinformation out there about this bill. If we are going to talk about it and debate it, shouldn’t we know both sides of the issue? With that said here are five facts about this bill:

1. This is not a tax. Taxes go to the government, not to other businesses. This is a rouse intended to get people upset.

2. This bill is not specifically directed to “black radio” and WILL NOT kill black radio. What will kill black radio is over leveraging your business and debt- http://www.zacks.com/stock/news/17622/Bad+Reception+for+Radio+One+-+Analyst+Blog

3. The bill specifically states 50% would go to the COPYRIGHT OWNER. Nowhere does it say it “record label”. This means it could be a major, or it could be an independent many black owned label such as Dupri’s.
45% would go to the featured artist/s, and 5% to the background musicians.

4. Satellite, Cable and Internet radio pay performers. AM/FM radio is the only platform that doesn’t which is unfair. AND Radio already pays performers over the internet and they have recently negotiated a discounted deal with the music industry on rates.

5. Every industrialized nation in the world pays performers. Some of the ones that don’t are Iran, China, South Korea and Rwanda. Although the collect the royalties for our American artists, it can’t be recouped because of our trade agreements so that money ends up promoting that country’s artists or any other programs they wish to fund.

I know I came late to this discussion, but I hope before there’s anymore mud slinging about Rep. Conyers people would look at both sides of the issue and then come to a decision for themselves.

I just wanted to say that this is a massive misinformation campaign. People need to actually go read the bill. Rhymefest, another Hip Hop artist wrote a blog entry about HR 848. It’s time that people hear both sides of the story. Check out his blog here: http://www.hiphopgame.com/index2.php3?page=rhymefestjournal

I was lmao reading Cathy Hughes letter to John Conyers the part when she talks about doing it’s part to promote local artists, most of her stations run a sizeable amount of syndicated programming most of the day.

I think a certain radio owner’s campaign to pimp their listener’s doesn’t work either.

I will post an article with more detail when I’m finished with my comment. I’ve never liked Cathy Hughes. I think she is a shyster who’s gotten rich off of pedaling trash to Black folks, with just a little substance sprinkled here and there (via talk radio and some gospel stations). And her account of this bill is totally dishonest and misleading. I hope that whoever she sent that crap letter to has the werewithall to research more, as you did Mocha. The reality is she and other radio people are only looking out for their bottom line. The songwriters have been jilted for years and years, while she and others like her have gotten over. And so f-ing what if she’s put out of business. The sooner the better for the Black community imo. Would love to see some more responsible ownership in the music industry anyway. If she went the way of Bob Johnson, I can’t say I’d cry a river. I rarely do this, but I’m posting the entire article to counter this lady’s dishonest tirade. The article: http://www.lohud.com/article/20090505/BUSINESS01/90505 0327/Bill+would+require+radio+stations+to+pay+record+l abels++artists+for+airplay

What most people don’t understand is that Conyers works for a group of people who I will call the ‘New World Order’. These are the same people orchestrating todays economic crash in America and the world. The same people whose money was made as far back as Slavery. The same people who give money to their banker friends and not to the people who will have to pay it back. The same people who made Jesus picked up a strap to whoop their asses. Two weeks later Jesus was tortured and hang. They have put plans in place to remove our ability to have ‘free TV’ and now they must remove the radio. This will make mass communication very difficult should we need it. This will make it even more difficult for black people to make a living in the music business. One of their main goals is to reduce our ability to be financially independent of them. When Tyler Perry made 50 million dollars without their knowledge it freaked them out. Henry Ford, founder of the Ford motor car company found out about this mafia. It pissed him off and he wrote a book about the history of this group’s behavior and put the book inside of every Ford car he sold back in the 1930’s. His wealth and financial independence gave him the freedom to expose these people. So they try to keep others from doing this. Blacks who own media and aren’t willing to be under their control are either pushed out of the business or killed. Imagine what took place for these people to remove the two stations owned by Cathy Hughes in Los Angeles. I think about when Cosby put the money together to buy NBC. Then his precious son was killed. Cosby no longer sought to buy NBC. Look what happened to james Brown after he released “I’m Black and I’m Proud”, all of a sudden James Brown started loosing air play and his radio stations, up until he was arrested and jailed in the 1980’s. Reggie Lewis the black billion from the 80’s who made his money legally on Wall Street, owned the Beatrice company. Then suddenly died from brain cancer in the early 90’s. I then saw a program on Cathy Hughes TV1 in which she was honoring Reggie Lewis. She was interviewing his “friend” Michael Milken, a crook who stole billions on Wall Street and went to jail. Michael Milken was supposedly Reggie Lewis’ friend. He said at the time of Reggie’s death he was in the process of purchasing Paramount Pictures cash. And then he suddenly dies from cancer. Johnny Cochran puts a trillion dollar case together for black reparations and suddenly dies of cancer. Mmm. Maybe your lawyer or manager really ain’t there to help you. Maybe he’s there to keep track of you. This Conyers ass is their fool and is doing their work from inside our community for years. It’s not the first time. Look up what this clown has done to our community over the last twenty years. We have to have some really serious but ugly conversations about what’s really controlling us and America. Lying to yourself that there is no elephant in the room doesn’t get rid of the elephant in the room.

Dear JD

Have a little respect for your elders!

How in any way is your post a reasoned discussion of the issue. I’d bet my Earth, Wind and Fire collection that you can’t mount an intelligent posting. John Conyer’s bill is not an attack on Black Radio (whatver that is). It’s about fair compensation of artist in many cases Black artist. Cathy Hughes vicious propaganda campaign can’t hide the fact that [too] many musicians are exploited by media companies – of all stripes. What I find pathetic is many of your “lifers” are ranting and raving about the issue but show little understanding of it. Conyers may be ” too old to hear the music” as you state but at least he is smart enough to understand the problem. Maybe in 50-60 years you will be as wise.

Peace Out Youngblood

Stop the madness, Save Our Voice “Black Radio”

Someone please needs to tell Cathy Huges to shut the fuck up! Sorry for being so frank. I’m so surprised many people forget that shes the owner of many black radio stations and she’s only “concerned for the artists” because in reality its her own wallet that’s getting thinner.

If Cathy’s fucking radio station goes under, let it be. Big fucking deal. Maybe you should’t only market to african americans since we’re such a small minority in the total population AND we’re known for being cheap asses throughout history and only take stuff thats given to us. America is a free market economy and may the strong survive, and the weak go under. Amen.

no such thing as free market, stop with the white cliche terms, passing them off as negro intellect. If this was a free market there would be no proposed hr848 in the first place.

As a people I think we have come a long way. We have struggled from time line to time line, yet we have given so much to a world that has yet to accept us as a smart well rounded race…Its the small things that we can call our own such as independent radio stations that do show how great as well as talented our people are…SAVE BLACK RADIO PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!

I don’t understand wh?y this is even an issue. Why should radio have to pay any kind of fees to the artist? who would not evn be know if it were not for radio. Radio is providing free advertisment which i know that all artist welcome. Are we a country of such illogical thinking that we have lost sight of the fair deal? Is it really all about the mighty dollar? We all know that it is. However, can our political leaders that we vote for and put in office understand that what we want them to focus on is the furture of our country. Focus on what will make us strong like our educators, our health care, and our children their mental and physical well being. POLITICIANS REMEMBER HOW YOU GOT WERE YOU ARE!! STOP JUST THINKING OF FILLING YOUR POCKETS!! YOUR CONSTITUENTS ARE WATCHING. SAVE BLACK RADIO!!!!

I like black radio because i listen to steve harvey and tom joyner in the mornings back and forth and like to boogie down too and it keeps my hips movin and groovin I lost 100 pounds listening to black radio it keeps my body shaking without causing a earthquake.

This is outrageous!!!…This is already happening however. I live where there used to be a station called 100.3 The Beat, and one day I turned on the radio and all they were playing was Christmas music so I was like okayyy it was coming up on Christmas time however; after Christmas was over and the regular music didn’t return and you began hearing from other stations that the Execs just came in one day and gave everyone pink slips the listeners of this station was like WTF!!! And to make matters worse, I got on the elevator one day at work, there were two white females on there as well, and one said, “I found this new station at 100.3, and I really like the music they play” this made me sick to my stomach burned me up inside. It really makes you sad to know that this is only happening to black radio stations and music (I’ve since beefed up my CD collection) this must be stopped. Does anyone remember the time when there was nothing but RADIO and they were all white stations, and blacks had to fight for their right to be heard on the air now this Black man (African-American) wants to make you pay to listen. He deserves the call that I’m going to make. Please people let’s come together, speak up and be heard, have a voice, if you sit back and say nothing you’ll be sorry one day that you didn’t say anything. Let’s not forget when nothing was said about removing prayer from schools…look at them now. So please people let’s band together like we did in 2008 and stand up and be heard and stop this nonsense.

I feel that the music is for the generation today and we should not care what other people say. I like hip hop music. I feel everyone should not judge a radio station on stereo type. Everyone deserves a chance at their own music. Please don’t take away black radio stations then there would not be any music out there that I would want to listen to. Hip Hop music is the new generation today I hope that when I get old and still want to listen to the radio that I will be able to listen to hip hop music. So consider this everyone deserves a chance in radio so please don’t take it off the air.

Blair u were 1 st weened and hoodwinked no punn intended by the “boogie” if what parades around today as cathy hughes form of black radio and the trick 97 formats that tell you they are where hiphop lives but at the end of the day those who pump those formats laugh all the way to the bank while u stay dumbed down waiting for your next fix of the boogie and million dollar activist al sharpton, then you are in serious need if waking up and expanding yourself its called waking up from da boogie, and not selling yourself out because someone suckas u into thinking their stations will loose money if they have to pay a tax to artists, local artists in your communities can not even get radio play, but you are ol with that as long as radio deems whats good for you to hear, y’all niggas are sorry asses for black folk.

forget black radio they don’t look out for the indie artists at all now they want us to help them out fuck u guys ask the main stream to help u out.