Broadcast Fees in America

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 28, 24 January 1930, Page 31

Broadcast Fees in America

Highly Paid Singers SINGING to-day is one of the most highly-paid professions’ in America. Even film stars must relinquish pride of place to the present favourites of fortune-operatic and lyric singers. Radio is resfonsible for the lucrative engagements now offered world-famous artists. In America, as is well known, broadcasting companies earn their money by advertiséments. For a long time it has been the custom for departmental stores and big wholesale businesses to pay | broadcasting companies for an allotment of 15 minutes on certain nights'in the week. Judiciously advertised, ‘these. recital entertainments are the chief etijoyment of thousands of radio listeners, At first simple and unassuming. ‘programmes were forthcoming, but now rich progressive companies rival one another in paying stupendous sums per minute to famous singers. The greater reputation ‘enjoyed by the artist the greater audience ‘will tune: in. P Sir Harry Lauder recently received £3000 for singing three songs-£1000 a song. Asa matter of fact, Sir Harry lowered his record by generously giving an encore. He was in Winnipeg .at the time and his microphone was linked up with nearly every: radio in the United, States-there are 12,000,000 of them. He .was engaged by a shoe manufacturer. Al Jolson, the noted jazz. ‘singer, went on the air recently to the tune of £150 a minute, the engagement lasting ten minutes, thus netting Jolson the tidy sum of £1500. . Mme. Francies Alda, who has just resigned from the Metropolitan’ Opera Company,.is .another favourite. Recently she was

paid £600 for a short recital, and she now declares ‘that she has abandoned, the operatic stage for the microphone. At a luncheon given in her ‘honour she said that she could not afford to disregard the stupendous money-making power of the radio. In the company of other stars she will give shortly six Radio. listeners were particularly pleased with Sir Harry Lauder be. cause he introduced his own songs, They find in America that professionat announcers are apé to talk too long. Singers report that they miss.the ax plause they receive in concert room or the opera house, but they have nq long night hours and little travelling. Puccini operas. am a —