# Music rights and radio stations **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 4, 2005, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-rights-and-radio-stations/302399 "2005-05-04T17:14:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-rights-and-radio-stations/302399/1 "2005-05-04T17:14:33Z")
I am completely clueless on the topic of copyright and intellectual property and reproduction rights (not to be confused with reproductive rights) and so forth, as I’m sure this question will make clear. I’m wondering about radio stations, and whether they have to pay anything in order to play songs on the air, and if not, why not? If I am not mistaken, you have to pay a fee if you even want to reprint lyrics in a book, or if you want to use a song in a movie or TV show, so why don’t radio stations have to do the same? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-rights-and-radio-stations/302399/2 "2005-05-04T17:46:27Z")
They do have to pay. There are two major licensing organizations in the U.S., BMI and ASCAP. BMI is more dominant in rock music, but ASCAP has the longer history. If you look at the credits for any song you’ll see something like BIG Ego Music (BMI) or Protein-Based Lifeform Music (ASCAP). This is the name of the official publisher of the music, analogous to the publisher of a book. It tells people who want to replay the songs commercially who they have to send rights money to. Radio stations pay an annual fee to each of these organizations that depends on all sorts of factors. I’ll let the professionals handle the details. But rest assured that hey pay big money for the privilege of broadcasting music. And so does everyone else who plays recorded music in public. Both ASCAP and BMI have people who go around and check up on bars and restaurants, for example. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-rights-and-radio-stations/302399/3 "2005-05-04T18:04:19Z")
This always seemed an odd relationship to me. Most musical acts are never going to “get to the top” without media expsoure. Yet media is supposed to pay for the privilege of exposing their music to the masses, thus enabling them to become renouned. Don’t they both need each other (ignore talk radio for this discussion). I would think radio stations should be the only place that gets a pass as far as royalties go. In this day and age I can’t imagine a musical act getting to the top by word of mouth alone without any media exposure. Perhaps an insider can enlighten us. ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-rights-and-radio-stations/302399/4 "2005-05-04T18:10:25Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > Yet media is supposed to pay for the privilege of exposing their music to the masses, thus enabling them to become **renouned**. I knew that some recording engineers use **reverb** but this is a new one for me. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-rights-and-radio-stations/302399/5 "2005-05-04T19:28:14Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > In this day and age I can’t imagine a musical act getting to the top by word of mouth alone without any media exposure. There’s a big difference between getting to the top and making enough to live by, and it’s definitely possible to do the latter without mainstream exposure. The reason why radio stations have to pay is simple: without the rights to broadcast music, the stations don’t have anything to attract listeners, and that means no advertising dollars. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2005, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-rights-and-radio-stations/302399/6 "2005-05-04T19:40:41Z")
> [@FatBaldGuy](#): > > I knew that some recording engineers use **reverb** but this is a new one for me. 😃 English majors unite!