[Fmpro] NO one?? PRS changes?

[James Ryan]

No, the broadcasters pay a flat fee for the use of the entire ASCAP
repertoire.  It used to be based on ad revenue, but it is now based on how
good your ASCAP negotiator is.  That being said, very popular music and very
popular shows play strongly into the negotiation.  If ASCAP only had some
cable shows and a few artists that averaged top 100 hits, but no number 1
hit records, they would not be able to get much.  On the other hand, if they
had (and they might, I have no idea) ER, CSI, Law and Order and Medium as
well as Bruce Springsteen, Eminem, Diddy, Usher, Gwen Stephani, etc. etc.
they would get a huge amount more.  They would not get more because they had
the music for game show reruns.  Also, in spite of what we'd like to
believe, CPA is not part of the negotiation.  If ASCAP has the big Burger
King Commercial, the station doesn't give a rat's ass.  The negotiation is
based on the star value of the repertoire.  This comes from several execs
that I asked at ASCAP.

By the statement below, I meant that ASCAP and PRS are trying to distribute
this money that is undifferentiated at source in a way that reflects market
appeal.  Face it, no one is ever going to be happy with the distribution.
If we ever went 1-1 the songwriters and score writers would go postal
because the CPA writers would be taking 2/3 of the cash.  I fought this, but
in my heart of hearts, I find it hard to imagine that a well thought out
score on CSI (for instance), airing at 10PM within one of the best shows on
TV has the same value to the public as some quickly slammed together Garage
Band loop music aired on a game show at 3AM.  Would you pay the same price
to go see a bar band as you would Elton John or Rage?  Would a promoter put
a bar band in Madison Square Garden?  Nope, because no one would pay to see
them.  I think that is ASCAP's and PRS's point.  I'm not saying I love
taking a royalty hit, but I do kind of understand their thinking.  Alright,
I've got my poncho on - start throwing the tomatoes.

:)
James


On 8/9/07 10:22 PM, "leshurdle" <leshurdle at avradionet.com> wrote:

> 
> On Aug 9, 2007, at 9:28 AM, James Ryan wrote:
> 
>> I don't want to start a big back and forth about this, but I am very
>> familiar with media buying/ad costs with regard to stations and
>> time slots,
>> and it is vastly cheaper to advertise during daytime TV and in the
>> middle of
>> the night than during prime time, and I had a hard time arguing
>> with his
>> logic.  I didn't say I liked the result, but I couldn't come up
>> with much of
>> a justification for equal pay.
> 
> 
> Where is there any proof that the broadcasters pay ASCAP or any other
> PRO based on this logic?
> 
> Best
> 
> L
> 
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