There’s a certain swagger that goes with winners. And when you’re at the top of your game, like Austereo, perhaps the biggest challenge is to not to appear arrogant. But even this mighty bastion of excellence may have blotted its escutcheon when it launched its new narrow focus digital station, Pink. Born of the Austereo think tank that adroitly turns wild ideas into commercial success, Pink with its three month life span coincides with the mercurial artist’s Australian Tour. Yet, despite their usually meticulous attention to detail, Austereo’s brains trust forgot just one thing; to get permission from record company Sony, promoter Michael Coppell and the performer herself, Pink, who is said to be somewhat miffed.
We can’t really comment too much on this particular case because it could get litigious, but we might ponder the question as to why Pink and her people could possibly object to what, on the face it, seems to be a powerful promotional vehicle to her benefit.
That’s the very question that’s been at the heart of the argument between Radio and the Recording Industry for decades. The record promoters would beat a path to PDs’ doors to beg them for the airplay that would drive sales only to be followed by the bean counters demanding those same stations pay royalties for that airplay.
In Australia, the record companies won the argument long ago, copyright courts ruling that since they are the owners of the material they therefore have every right to charge for the content they provide for Radio – which after all picks and chooses what it wants to use to gain audience, not what the record companies necessarily wish to sell. In other words, the decision for Radio to promote some records is theirs alone.
Meanwhile, in the USA, Radio has always enjoyed a free ride from the record companies who felt that Radio deserved complimentary broadcast rights for the service it performed.
But that’s about to change, partly because record companies are doing it really tough these days and are looking for additional revenue streams, but mostly because video clips and the net have dissipated Radio’s music selling prowess.
So, what think you, is Pink the performer being precious in her apparent condemnation of Pink the radio station? Or have Austereo been remiss in not asking permission?
As usual, you are under no obligation to stick to this topic. You may use this forum to express any view you like, provided it has something to do with radio and provides no grounds for litigation.
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