Are ‘Fair Play’ And ‘PROMOTE’ Plans DOA In Congress?

With Capitol Hill set to enjoy a long Memorial Day weekend full of cool temperatures and predictions of rain and thunderstorms, forces other than Mother Nature appear to have put a damper on two pieces of legislation that would institute a "tax" on the airplay of recorded music for radio stations across the U.S.

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These are what we might call "evergreen bills." Every year, the lobbyists of the recording industry get these bills proposed by basically the same sponsors in the House and Senate. And then they die. They never get to the floor, they never get discussed, and the term runs out, and the bills are dead. There are a ton of other similar bills that get proposed every year, although they may not get this kind of coverage. But the result is the same. These are no-win issues. No upside here. The issues itself are very complicated. You have to be a legal wonk to even be interested. And these days, there aren't as many legal wonks in Congress as there used to be. Any kind of royalty reform will take more work than health care, and you see how much fun that issue is. So nobody is motivated, if with lobbyist money, to open that Pandora's Box, if you will. This may mark the tenth time bills proposing royalty reform have died a quiet death.