The Washington times., 1924-02-11
nee.
MUST. PAY,
He SAYS
Listeners-ln ITO Face Music"
Eventually; Says Composers
Chief Seeking Royalties.

-.
Eventually; Says Composers
Chief Seeking Royalties.
NEW YORK, Feb. tt.-"Give
me control Of the worlds broad
casting stations and IN make my
self king Of the universe" is the
statement made yesterday by Ed
win c.. Mills, just before sailing
for Havana. He is chairman of
the administrative committee of
the American Society Of Com
posers, Authors and Publishers, the
organization which is demanding
royalties from broadcasting sta
tons for the privilege Of using
copyright music.
Audience Must Pay.
The organization collects $500 a
year from each Of the local sta.
tons, with the exception of WIZ
and WY, which stations maintain
that broadcasting is a benefit to
composers.
I'm a fan and I'm talking to
you as one now. / am interested
in the idea Of seeing broadcast pro-
grammes improved. I look for.
ward to the day when better enter
tainment and the highest types Of
minds will render greater service
TO listeners. But, as In every other
form Of entertainment, that audi
ence will have to pay for It.
Dislikes Present Scheme.
mo man, or group of men is
prepared today to guarantee the
continuance of broadcasting enter
tainment upon the present day
basis.
"The radio audience, estimated to
number all the way from three to
twenty-five million persons, might
just as well face the music Their
interests are paramount in this
situation, and they are in jeopardy
because Of the apparent unwilling
ness or inability of themselves, the
manufacturers, the dealers, the
broadcasters and the Government
to get together on a plan that will
stabilize broadcasting operations,
and assure to them the perman-
ency that thew deserve.
This audience has received more
free entertainment than has ever
previously been rendered in the
whole world.
This condition cannot continue
indefinitely" Mills emphasized. "Tf
its continuance thus is attempted,
radio Is going to suffer a tent
porary setback which will come
from poorer programs until the
condition arrives where all con-
cerned will be forced to face and
master the issue.
Should Receive Pay.
TT is only fair and right that
all who render their services to
these stations and for the entertain
ment Of the radio audience should
be fairly paid for their work.
There have been three plans
proposed for financing broadcasting.
The first one is that the Govern.
ment take over the broadcasting
programme activities and reimburse
itself by tax on manufacturers,
dealers and listeners-in. The second
one is that dealers and manufac.
turers, place a sur charge on their
sets, the proceeds of which shall
pay for broadcastingi
This might work for a wear or
two, but 1t is not permanent enough.
What would happen when the sale
Of sets fell off, or IL a revolutioniz-
ing radio invention were introduced?
The third idea is that the great
national advertisers shall finance
progressing operations through
buying the time Of the stations and
presenting entertainment and artists
under the auspices Of the adver-
tisers, loading the entertainment
with enough boosting. for their
wares to make 1t paying adver-
Using medium.
Levy Monthly Tax.
my proposal for the solution Of
the problem Of providing the best
radio program is a national asso.
citation OF radio interests which Won
might call the National Radio AS
ISOLATION. that shall administer its
affairs through a body to be known
as the National Radio Control Com.
mittee, constituted as follows: A
representative Of the receivers. like
Henry Ford; representative Of the
broadcasters, like Thomas Edison:
q representative Of the manufac.
turers. Of the dealers and of the
Government like Herbert Hoover.
The committee should establish
booking office for three main
departments Of the service, enter
tainment, education and miscel-
ianeous. The radio stations would
only be permitted to announce their
call letters and the ownership of
the station, and no advertisers
would be permitted to use these
stations. The fans would pay fifty
cents month, and they would all
De requested to enroll as members
OF the association. They are honest
enough to pay without being forced
into it."