Radio Overseas

Radio Record, Volume VI, Issue 51, 30 June 1933, Page 21

Radio Overseas

Interesting Facts From Commission's Report -_-- The report of Mt. Justice Owen, the Royal Commissioner who investigated the copyright position in Australia, deals at length with broadcasting in Australia and traverses in detail the claims made by the associated gramophone record manufacturers. Broadcasting in Australia, the report states, apparently differs from that in all other countries. In Australia there are national (and non-profit earning) stations operating side by side with forty-six "BR" Class stations which are carried on for profit, each class supplemental {40 and necessary to the other. In New Zealand all the important stations are national, and the profitmaking stations are few in number. Evidence given before the Corbmisgion established that unless broadcasting stations can use the musical works controlled by the Australasian Performing Rights Association they cannot how, or for some time to come, Successfully and efficiently maintain a national service. The same applies, though to a less extent, to the records mate by the record manufacturing companies, if the present policy is m@aintained of obtaining records on the Australian market. About June, 1932, the A.P.R.A. offered to grant to the Australian Broadcasting Commission a license for the use of copyright works controlled by the Association at the following rates :- (a) 2/44a peritem per main station on a basis of 350,000 listeners, and (b) 4a per item per main station for each additional 10,000 licensed listenets. This offer was refused by the Broadcasting Commission and up to the time the report was presented no agreement had heen arrived at. The Association claimed that a "relay" must be treated as a separate performance. For 1981 the average charge made to the Atistralian Broadcasting Compahy (a profit-making company which controlled the "A" stations in Australia until July 1, 1982) was equivalent to 2/5.852d per item. In that yeat the Company paid £30,190 for 296,850 performances (of which 49,992 were not , claimed as copyright). In other words the Australian Association was paid for 246,858 performances ai an average rate of 2/5.352d per item. The Syidence before the Commission showed i~-~ (a) The British Broadcasting Comtaission pays (on a basis of 4,526,075 licences) about £63,500 a year for the whole repertoire controlled by the Performing Right Society. (b) In Germany (on a basis of 8,980,840 licenses) the Broadcasting Board of Control would have a revenue of £2,805,879 at par on sterling. The Copyright Associations receive 34 per cent. without any restriction as to the nuinbers of musical items used, representing £98,205 per annum. , (ec) In Austria the Broadcasting Authority pays 8% per cent. of the revenue from licenses (cal-

culated on 476,000 licenses). The amount paid is equivalent to £11,245, (d) In Poland, where some 300,000 (€) licenses are in existence, the Broadeasting Authority pays to the Copyright Society 8 per cent. of its revenue from licenses with a minimum of about £3,200 a year. The amount paid to the Society is about £7,425. In the United States of America the amounts payable under the agreement recently made with the American performing Right Society are roughly £300,000 for 1933, £400,000 for 1934, and £500,000 for 1935.

(f) In New Zealand the Broadeasting Board, if it were to continue to pay at the rate previously paid by the Broadcasting Company which controlled, the "aA" stations, would pay £5,250 per annum, and the Australasian Performing Right Association’s claims, if made applicable to New Zealand, would amount to £11,365. The information as to the Continentai countries was obtained by the late Mr. H. P. Williams from the Union Internationale de Radio Diffusion, Geneva, said to be the highest authority from which such information can be obtaine¢