HELP SAVE BLACK RADIO
HERE WE GO AGAIN OLD ASS PEOPLE TRYING TO MAKE MOVES. JOHN CONYERS THIS GUY IS 80 YEARS OLD HE CAN’T EVEN HEAR THE MUSIC. I ADVISE ALL THE LIFERS TO HIT HIM UP WITH A NOTE OR SOMETHING LETTING HIM KNOW YOU DISAGREE WITH THIS BILL. PLEASE READ THE POST.
TO MY RADIO ONE FAMILY:
The Honorable John Conyers, our 80 year old African-American Congressman is the sponsor of a new bill that could put many black owned radio stations out of business. And force others to abandon their commitment to provide free music, entertainment, news, information, and money losing formats like gospel and black talk.
This is Cathy Hughes, founder and chairperson of Radio One with an urgent call to our Radio Family.
The John Conyers Performance Tax Bill is the brain child of the foreign owned record industry who would receive at least 50% of the revenue that would be charged to radio stations in order for them to play music. The music that you now receive free from us – we would have to pay millions of dollars for.
And20in the midst of this economic depression, black radio stations simply do not have that financial ability.
There has been only one hearing on the bill and that hearing did not have any black ownership representation. Black radio owners and community leaders including Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpton, Dick Gregory, Tom Joyner, and myself have all begged Conyers to at least allow us the opportunity for a hearing. He has flatly refused.
We now ask you, our radio family, to assist us in saving the future of black radio. Please call or email or visit the offices of John Conyers today. His phone numbers are 202-225-5126 and 313-961-5670 and his email address isjohn.conyers@mail.house.gov
TELL HIM that you oppose this bill that would murder Black owned radio and the free music that you now hear on all free radio stations. In the midst of an American economic recession, it is not the right time to send millions of dollars to foreign owned record companies that don’t even pay taxes like you and me in this country. This bill is not in the interest of Black people! Please help us save Black radio!
WANT TO LEARN MORE? See below why it is IMPERATIVE that we act to save Black radio:
1 . The promotional value of free local radio airplay translates into significant revenues for artists and record labels:
According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), record sales in the United States in 2007 were approximately $10.4 billion;
Touring revenue in 2007 in the U.S. was approximately $5 billion;
The above figures exclude the several billion dollars derived annually from merchandise, songwriting royalties and licensing deals for commercials, films, etc.; and
Also excluded is the boost that U.S. popularity provides for foreign sales and concerts.
2. Local radio also actively promotes artists by:
Devoting considerable and valuable airtime to promoting artists’ concerts;
Featuring artist weekends
Providing opportunities for live in-studio performances; and
Creating buzz through on-air ticket and album giveaways, helping to drive concert and merchandising revenue.
Without doubt, the engine driving these billions of dollars into the pockets of the record labels and artists is free, local radio promotion.
“Artist Examples of Increased Sales From Local Radio Airplay”
Each of the next graphs details and compares the spins on over-the-air radio (highlighted in red on each graph) with the retail sales and downloads of the artists’ releases (highlighted in blue on each graph). The results are consistent in every artist example: Significant play on radio results in si gnificant sales of the artist’s song, demonstrating the significant promotional and economic impact that free, local radio provides to the recording industry.
The recording industry suggests that the Internet and viral marketing is now the way to break a new artist. However, despite numerous new methods for artists to showcase their music, such as MySpace.com, retail outlets, etc., radio’s promotional value in spiking and sustaining sales is clearly demonstrated by the information included below.
Kanye West-
Kanye West is an American record producer and is a multiple Grammy Award-winning rapper and singer who rose to fame in the mid 2000s.
Albums:
He released his debut album “The College Dropout” in 2004, his second album “Late Registration” in 2005 and his third album “Graduation” in 2007. His first three albums have received numerous awards (including nine Grammys), critical acclaim and commercial success. The first two singles from “Late Registration” sold over 860,000 copies in its first week, and earned him eight Grammy Award nominations including Album of the Year and Record of the Year for the song “Gold Digger.” His first three albums have certified sales of three million, three million and two million copies respectively by the RIAA.
Tours
Kanye West headlined 190 concerts between 2004 and 2007, grossing an average of $244,669 and selling an average=2 0of 5,235 tickets per date. (Source: Pollstar Artist Profile Report, © 2007)
50 Cent-
50 Cent is an American rapper.
Albums:
He rose to fame with the release of his albums “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” (2003) and “The Massacre” (2005). Both albums achieved multi-platinum success, selling over 21 million records worldwide, including 11 million RIAA certified sales in the United States.
The lead single from “Get Rich or Die Tryin’,” “In da Club,” which The Source noted for its “blaring horns, funky organs, guitar riffs and sparse hand claps” broke a Billboard record as the most listened-to song in radio history within a week.
Tours
50 Cent headlined 199 concerts worldwide between 2002 and 2007, grossing an average of $632,272 and selling an average of 11,406 tickets per date between 2005 and 2007. (Source: Pollstar Artist Profile Report, © 2007)
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!
Not sure I totally agree with this. I don’t want black radio to disappear either, but black radio was being killed before John Conyers stepped in the picture. Stop with all of this syndication and hire or train some new up and coming talent.
How the hell is Radio 1 gonna complain about this when Russ Parr, Rickey Smiley, and Tom Joyner are in 100′s of markets? That’s supposed to be “2. Local radio “???
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.
EWF, because ro’s bottom line is to stay in the game with the cc’s and cbs’s ect’s to them this bill would effect their bottom line their dollar bill, many countries around the world already have this bill, it’s surprising here in the us it’s been a fight to get it passed, radio can’t have it both ways play the artist and just leave it up the record lable to pay the artists the history of the record company will never be clean and fair, that has been since the day of the early record men they were all u guessed it! lawyers, why? because they could reword things to work in their favor, the problem with cathy huges false crying that this will be a death nail in urban aka “Black radio.” is a nail she has been sticking in steadly since she began gobbling up black stations that couldn’t stay afloat without her aquiring them thanks to the 1996 telecomunications act, a fight about black radio should of took place as recent as 18 years ago. This reaction is only about cathy huges upholding to her dismal programming she calls black radio and to her stock holders, that is her bottom line.
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 am utterly disgusted with the notion of interfering with the way radion is ran and broadcasted. Free radion is the lifeline of several artist, not to mention a voice for people who have something to say. It appears that the government wants to interfer in an instution that is struggling at best. Their interference would only make things worse.
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.
that email address to john conyers didn’t work.
I think a certain radio owner’s campaign to pimp their listener’s doesn’t work either.
There is a solution. Stop playing 50, Kanye, and Wayne. Start playing local artist. The over-commercialized, Over-hyped artist signed to foreign labels can put pressure on their handlers. Case closed.
p.s. @ kenyatta . John Conyers is African American, and a long standing figure in the struggle for equality. Black Radio has made my ears bleed with Soulja Boy, now they want Sister Soldier listeners. Stop the madness.
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
I think those that want to champion cathy hughes save black radio campaign should do alittle revishionist history on radio one and see why many feel this campaigns roots are really based not in hrh848.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/05/AR2006030500791.html
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.
and don king back in 1998 had a 5billion dollar letter of credit to give to dave mays from clear channel to have james mtume and bob law run a national black radio talk network, guess what? David Mays wouldn’t take the money, yes we have alot of ugly conversations we must talk about, but will we? this generations problem is the sence of we have arrived, but it’s really just acquessing, and that is what is the problem, until black folk like cathy hughes and others stand up instead of acquessing, the saga will continue on, but i won’t fret for black owned radio check the history of it the last 25 years and you’ll see why “acquessing for black folk ain’t no way to go in america.”
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
In his 80 years, Mr. Conyers (and the other younger members of the Congressional Black Caucus) has done more for Black people than “Black radio”. This is about money, short and simple and Kathy Hughes should be ashamed of herself for the tasteless, unfair and mean-spirited add that is running on stations that quite frankly aren’t even Black owned anymore! Shame, Kathy Hughes. Blacks can disagree without making it personal and unprofessional!
Stop the madness, Save Our Voice “Black Radio”
tell cathy to stop the madness and pimping her listener’s to save her over billion dollar debt compaby she calls radio one, ever notice how our 60 somthing year old friend leaves out her company’s mounting debt, but wil pimp you her listener’s to keep her afloat, and what else does she do, she even now gets you to vote out local reps that if u had ur own god given commonsence you could of done on ur own without the help of cathy pimping u because u fear ur boogie being losted if cathy has to pay a preformance tax, I didn’t see people wanting cathy to step up when they knew she was in business that was unfair and unequal, but yeah I know cuz she is a sistah and she does provide us with the boogie, sprinkled with what she deems is black talk for u with al sharpton etc tokens, it’s good to see in the new century black people still falling for the okie doke under the guise of it being “Black” lol black radio losted it’s blackness due to people like cathy that were only willing to make money than to acutally change the system that she plays in and the end of the continues to play her.
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.
I feel that the black radio is a great way for communication i like that they are all over the world in each city. I love to get in mourning and hear the tom Jorner mouring show. I like to hear about the news and what they like to say. I feel that i would be a great lost for us to loosed them.
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.
we should save blak radio. its not right for anyone to take that away. its a job for them just any other. i believe the bill should be passed to save it.
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 want Black Radio to be saved. So I think Black Stations have Music that other stations do not play. SO I want to SAVE BLACK RADIO BLACK 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 personally like black radio even though it is mask termed urban radio today, and if u are 25 and younger u think urban radio aka black radio only means todays hip hop & classic soul, But i also like the fact many black people feel a kinship to the sellout factor of their own people just because cathy hughes says her business and way of making money would fail, and we should support her because at least she is a sistah one of our own? I also like the fact that street/hood life has become the defacto standard of black american culture since the mid 90′s I think blind black folks when they really wake up from the boogie and get some self confidence will see how foolish and weak minded they continue to be, aint it funny that hood culture has become the norm the rule, and striving without falling for every chase has become the exception.
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 blog needs a serious mental self introsepct.
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.
what are you doing black radio is a part of our live i live would not be shut with out it you no black radio got you were you at to day its a you know black radio is how most famos people made it were they at now so please don’t take a why black radio you’ll see the whole world walking a round like sad puppys music is how some kids stay of trouble like gange in stuff because instand of out geting in trouble you can be chilling listening to black radio its apart of black and whites PLEASE DON’T TAKE A WAY BLACK RADIO PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
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.
i am a 21 year old black female and black radio has been a part of me and my family, no matter what age group they are all in..hip hop believe or not plays a big part in my life..and i can speak for the rest of the young inspiring artists when i say that black radio keeps me from being the streets..i love singing and i have friends that do the same, and if we didn’t do that we would probably be out somewhere robbing banks..seriously. all i’m saying is that black radio is very important and if Conyers do something so inconsiderate as far as taking black radio to make himself look high and mighty than i shake my head in dispair and sadness, but i bet you one thing black radio will never die..whether he knows it or not, black people will be everywhere and he will get a lot of negativity bestowed upon him for what he’s done..
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.
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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.