THE RECORDING Fellow Recording Artist
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NCRA1 NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR THE RECORDING ARTS STAN KENTON National Chairman February 14, 1968 CHARTER MEMBERS: LOUIS ARMSTRONG TONY BENNETT JUNE CHRISTY BOB COOPER KENNY DENNIS Fellow Recording Artist: ALFRED DRAKE PERCY FAITH SID FELLER While I try not to deluge you with correspondence, I am not JERRY FIELDING always successful. BROTHERS FOUR STAN GETZ BENNY GOODMAN This letter is a case in point. GOGI GRANT JIMMY HASKELL Our campaign to secure copyright legislation is, like all JOHNNY KEATING legislative matters, somewhat complex. FRANKIE LAINE PEGGY LEE GUY LOMBARDO The two enclosures make it simple. JULIE LONDON HENRY MANCINI I have two requests, both of which are simple and painless. JOHNNY MANN SHELLY MANNE FREDDY MARTIN Will you take time to read the enclosures and, having done that, BILLY MAY write a personal note to one or more of the Senators comprising MITCH MILLER the Subcommittee On Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights? These ALFRED NEWMAN are the men who will soon decree life or death for the legislation MINNIE PEARL we seek, specifically Amendment 131 BUDDY RICH to Senate Bill S. 597. Let MORT SAHL them know how you feel. SIMON & GARFUNKEL DICK STABILE They can be addressed thusly: APRIL STEVENS NINO TEMPO MEL TORME The Honorable John L. McClellan The Honorable Hiram L. Fong BOBBY TROUP Member of Senate Member of Senate FRED WARING 3241 New Senate Office Building 1107 New Senate Office Building MEREDITH WILLSON Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C. NANCY WILSON GERALD WILSON KAI WINDING The Honorable Philip A. Hart The Honorable Hugh Scott PETER YARROW Member of Senate Member of Senate 362 Old Senate Office Building 260 Old Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C. The Honorable Quentin N. Burdick Member of Senate 110 Old Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. Form letters are of little or no value. But it is undeniable that personal letters from celebrities create impact. Perhaps yours is a personal relationship with one of the Senators. So much the 9300 WILSHIRE BOULEVARD, BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA 90212, TELEPHONE (213) 278-2345 Page Two better. In any case, a letter drawing on your personal experiences and pointing up the need for performance fees will be of incalculable help. If you have no particular preference, I would suggest you write to either Senator Burdick or McClellan, or both. Such a letter could be the most financially rewarding one you will ever write. Thank you. enes. NCRA NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR THE RECORDING ARTS STAN KENTON National Chairman CHARTER MEMBERS: STATEMENT 07 POSITION LOUIS ARMSTRONG TONY BENNETT JUNE CHRISTY BOB COOPER The nation’s recording artists, arrangers, musicians, and record KENNY DENNIS producers are being deprived of a fundamental economic right. It ALFRED DRAKE is the right to copyright protection for the commercial use of PERCY FAITH their recorded performances. SID FELLER JERRY FIELDING BROTHERS FOUR The purpose of the National Committee for the Recording Arts is to STAN GETZ call attention to the need for legislation to correct this injustice. BENNY GOODMAN GOGIGRANT JIMMY HASKELL The spirit of United States copyright laws is that no man may take JOHNNY KEATING a creative work and profit therefrom without compensating the FRANKIE LAINE originator of the work. PEGGY LEE GUY LOMBARDO JULIE LONDON Today, when a recorded performance is played on the air, the composer HENRY MANCINI and publisher receive a performance fee. Artists and musicians make JOHNNY MANN an equally creative contribution — through their style, individual SHELLY MANNE ity, and expertise — yet receive no compensation whatsoever for the FREDDY MARTIN commercial use of their recorded works. BILLY MAY MITCH MILLER ALFRED NEWMAN In many respects, a recorded performance in no way differs from a MINNIE PEARL live, filmed, or television rendition of musical work. Each has BUDDY RICH commercial value. MORT SAHL SIMON & GARFUNKEL DICK STABILE It is morally just that the artists whose talent, personality, and APRIL STEVENS rendition give life to a musical composition receive tangible rec NINO TEMPO ognition for their contributions to recorded performances. MEL TORME BOBBY TROUP FRED WARING Today, phonograph records are played during 80# of broadcast time MEREDITH WILLSON throughout the United States. Featured recording artists have in NANCY WILSON fact been replaced by their own recordings, for which the broad GERALD WILSON caster pays them nothing. KAI WINDING PETER YARROW Our present law has other unfortunate by-products. Many foreign countries which otherwise grant a performance fee deny royalties to American recording artists because this country does not reciprocate by awarding royalties to any performers, either American or foreign. It is against this background of legal, moral, and economic justifi cation that the National Committee for the Recording Arts urges Congress to grant recording artists copyright protection equal to that so long enjoyed by their co-creators. This gross inequity can be corrected by passage of Amendment 131 to 8. 597. 9300 WILSHIRE BOULEVARD, BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA 90212, TELEPHONE (213) 278-2345 Reprinted from LOS ANGELES FEBRUARY 1968 • 60 CENTS I M FINE ARTS FEATURES DETAILED FM PROGRAM SCHEDULES ARTISTRY IN PROTEST by Harvey Siders Not too long ago, I reviewed a re gious “band” of his long career. But around 1955, Eisenhower finally cording by Julie London that con Names (“sidemen,” if you will) such said ‘O.K. we’ve got to do something tained a deliciously sexy version of as Louis Armstrong, Tony Bennett, to modernize them.’ ” the old Mickey Mouse theme. It made Alfred Drake, Benny Goodman, Peggy Twelve years later, after myriad me wonder whether those pre-puberty Lee, Guy Lombardo, Henry Mancini, studies, committee reports, hearings prodigies, the Mousketeers, knew Freddie Martin, Alfred Newman, and analyses, the sub-committee is something I didn’t. Mort Sahl, Mel Torme, Fred Waring, ready to report it to the Senate Ju My pre-occupation with that sing Meredith Willson, Nancy Wilson were diciary Committee, and perhaps by song alphabet lesson proved to be as brought together under the banner of spring the committee will be readv to ephemeral as Miss London’s album, the National Committee for the Re bring the pending legislation (S-597) but interest was revived when I cording Arts. before the full Senate. read that she played that same track That group (we’ll call it the NCR A) Understandably, there is a “now (You remember the bit: M-I-C-K-E-Y has set for its goal the updating of our or never” attitude pervading the . .) for a Senate sub-committee on ancient and unrealistic copyright NCRA. In Stan Kenton, the com patents, trademarks and copyrights. laws—laws which Kenton hastens to mittee couldn’t find a more deter Aside from plugging her own point out were formulated in 1909, mined or more knowledgable national record, Miss London also played Bar when you could count the number of chairman; in choice of counsel the bra-Streisand’s version of Happy Days phonograph records in existence and NCRA has an influential Washington Are Here Again. Granted, that tune radio was a distant dream. firm of Chapman, DiSalle (Mike Di has long been identified with the One year before that, then men who Salle, former governor of Ohio) and Democrats, but politics had little to do organized ASCAP (among them Vic Friedman; and responsible for spread with the choice of tunes. tor Herbert) saw to it that publishers ing the committee’s message is the Julie London was proving a point— and composers received a fee every public relations firm of Ruder and interpretation can alter material radi time their songs were performed. To Finn. cally. (Both renditions, being slow, day, the “Composers, Authors and To date that message has come sultry and sensuous, had the desired Publishers” who make up the second from diverse sources: pop, jazz and effect of surprising the senators.) In syllable of ASCAP benefit to the tune classical musicians; plus executives more general terms, the record ses of millions from the licensing fees from the record industry. But those sion underscored one of the most vital imposed on radio and TV stations who have lent their time and effort needs in the entertainment industry and the Muzak-type operations that are unanimous in the need for chang today: copyright protection for the haunt supermarkets and elevators. ing our outdated copyright laws. A recording artist. No such foresight was lavished on recent set of hearings before the Miss London managed to do an the singers, musicians and arrangers Senate Judiciary Committee bore impressive job even though she was who make a particular version of a eloquent proof of that collective senti out of her element as a disc jockey. tune popular as a result of their ment. How her Capitol caper came about specialized efforts. An attempt was Mitch Miller, who is eastern chair in the first place can be attributed to made to rectify the omission in the man for the NCRA, told the com another entertainer—a household ex early Thirties when Paul Whiteman mittee, “It seems almost unbelievable pression in the world of modern and Fred Waring founded the Na that in a nation where private prop music—Stan Kenton. tional Association of Performing Ar erty rights are protected by law, an Never one to shy away from ad tists. Their attempts were as abortive artist’s creative work may be ex verse public reaction when he was as Tommy Dorsey’s a decade later. ploited by others for personal profit, championing progressive, big band In the fifties, Kenton made his without being required to share that jazz, Kenton has now taken on the first bid to change the antiquated profit with the artist.” Congress of the United States, and copyright provisions, but his timing Miller was high in his praise of an anyone who knows Stan’s persuasive was not propitious.