The White House on Tuesday voiced its support for an AM/FM performance royalty. The recommendation came from White House Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Victoria Espinel.

The NAB responded that such a royalty would be a “jobs-killing fee on America’s hometown radio stations.” It also pointed out, reports Tom Taylor in his Radio-Info
newsletter (subscribe here), that the White House has supported a broadcast radio performance royalty “for a while now.”

Taylor reports that there “apparently aren’t any active talks between the NAB and MusicFirst.” In October 2010 the NAB published a proposed performance royalty settlement (RAIN coverage here) which included provisions about FM receivers in cellphones and webcasting royalties. It received an icy reception from NAB members and MusicFirst (RAIN coverage here).

The White House on Tuesday also recommended that illegal streaming of any content online be counted as a felony. Espinel stated, “The Administration recommends that Congress clarify that infringement by streaming, or by means of other similar new
technology, is a felony in appropriate circumstances.” Digital Music News has more coverage here. You can also find the White House’s white paper on the matter here (PDF).

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