Do radio stations pay artist to play their songs?

Question

I know a lot about music, but artist get royalties from radio stations that play their songs right?

Answer 1

Actually, most of the radio stations in this country are part of the Clear Channel family - who is also a producer of artists. So the Clear Channel stations mostly play Clear Channel bands.

The stations themselves get money from Clear Channel for playing a certain number of Clear Channel artists or specific artists (think new releases from pop artists). The artists are paid on a sliding scale (or flat amount, depending on artists and fame) for sales of the albums and rarely receive royalties from the stations. Most artists themselves make a lot less then they did a decade ago because the major holder of power produces and airs their own artists under tight contracts. Smaller or non-popular artists (non-mainstream) are made to fend for themselves on small labels with little to no where to get airplay.

That is why you can drive all over the country and hear the same bland artist's crappy new song. Stations in this country have really become horrible with the consolidation of the market into a couple powerful companies. It's also why there is a high number of really horrible pop-celebrity artists getting a whole lot of play for mediocre songs.

Answer 2

Radio stations pay a license fee, which does pay out royalties to the artists.

In the US for instance, this is handled by Sound Exchange http://www.soundexchange.com/ , which used to be part of the RIAA but is now separate.

In the UK, I can't remember the name of the licensing authority, but here's where performing artists can claim their airplay royalties: http://www.royaltiesreunited.com/

In Sweden, it's called STIM, and there's info here: http://www.stim.se/stim/prod/stimv4eng.nsf/alldocuments/7062F673230E7CB5C1256B6E004492E6

All these authorities have reciprocal agreements too, so playing US artists in Sweden, a portion of the fees are forwarded on to the US to go into the royalty fund there.

These licenses are in fact paid by everyone who provides music in public, restaurants,even if there is a radio playing at work you are supposed to pay a license fee.

Additionally, it's not unheard of for artists labels to pay the radio station to promo a track (one infamous case was an Avril Lavigne single a couple of years ago)

Answer 3

Every company has costs. Administration, buildings, insurance, and postage are some examples.

A business that makes less money than it spends, must eventually go bankrupt.

A radio station is a business. An artist, or more importantly the record label, is also a business. Both of those have to make money, or they eventually go bankrupt.

An interesting corrolary of this is that an employee who is paid exactly what he brings in to the company isnt worth hiring, because he costs more in administrative and liability costs than he makes. The closer an employee is to making what they are worth, the nearer they are to being fired. A very valuable employee is one that brings in a hundred times what he is paid. He is a generator of wealth for the company. He will be the last person fired, beside the owner.

Radio stations make their money from commercials, or donations. They spend their money on dj's, music content, and the technology to put music on the radio.

Music labels make their money from licensing their music. They license it to radio stations to play, individual people for individual entertainment, and to other media for use in other media like movies. They spend their money on promotions of music events, cost to reproduce music content, lawyers for the riaa, and paying artists for the music.

Artists are human beings who pay bills. They make their money by licensing or selling their music. They spend it, often barely paying the bills, buying a little food, and periodically on recreation.

Answer 4

No, it's the other way around. Radio stations get money from record labels to play their music.

Answer 5

Radio stations pay copyright fees to play music.

Answer 6

it is very illegal 2 do that it is called "payola" artists cant pay radio stations 2 play there songs radio stations get there money from selling commercial time

Answer 7

artist or record company pays radio station

Answer 8

no but radio stations are bribed/payed to play a certain artist and this has been goin' on scince the eighties

Answer 9

They must pay royalty every time song is played. Don't know if they directly pay copyright holder or it goes into big slush fund.