The IAO has expressed support for the ‘Music First’ initiative in the United States to get performers paid for radio play. The use of music to drive commercial radio businesses in the US has historically been regarded as ‘promotion’ for artists and not commercial exploitation by radio stations. The IAO supports the RIAA (The Grammy Organisation) and US PRO Sound Exchange in calling on the US government to review this legislation. European performers have been paid for radio play since the creation of the Making Available Right and that right has been central in providing some balance to the ways performers receive payment when their music is exploited commercially. Whilsy Sound Exchange collects and distributes money to artists for spins on non-interactive streaming services like Pandora and SeriusXM, The lack of an equivalent right on terrestrial radio has meant US performers losing out on some $100m per annum in reciprocal payments from European PROs.
