Evening star., 1924-04-27
RADIO GOSSIP AND NEWS

ties to the authors. composers and
publishers by the broadcasting sta
tions, is now up to the Senate patent
committee. Considering the mass of
testimony, pro and con, given in two
days of hearing on the amendment to
the copyright laws proposed by Sena-
tor c. c. Dill, which would eliminate
broadcasters from paying fees to
copyright holders, it may be some
time before the committee can digest
the matter and make report.
Senator Dill says he is personally
| interested in keeping radio free to
the people, and he means it. Like
| free speech, religion and the freedom
dicapped and uncontrolled. If NOV
| ing pictures and automobiles took
their people out of their homes, ra-
dio, he asserts, has a tendency to
bring them back. He believes the
listener-in should not. be taxed. and
is confident that through radio,
| universal language will develop which
Will better unite people of all ma
tions and may prevent future wars.
Opposition to Senator Dill'S meas
ure is strong, however. and his ideals
may be defeated in committee or lat
er. on the floor.
Leading musicians, authors, com
posers and publishers appeared be-
fore the Senate committee April II in
opposition to the Dill bill In general
! they were members of the American
Society OF Composers, Authors and
, publishers, but some independents
| also testified. They included Gene
| Buck; president of the society; Vic
! tor Herbert, vice president: f.. Z.
Mills. chairman of the administrative
| committees; Ellis Barker Butler.
| president of the Authors League;
John Philip Sousa, Augusta Thomas
ana Nathan Burkam, attorney for the
| Composers Society.
! Mr.. Buck in an attempt to refute
the testimony given to the commit
| tee recently by the National Broad
casters Association, referred partic-
! ularly to the so-called war chest"
! for the prevention of adversely. He
| spoke of the organization and it's
work. stating that both he and the
association have great regard for
p! opposition to the Dill bill for the
| life of song writing" and fiatly de-
! Eied that the Publishers Association
/ was a monopoly or trust of any kind.
| Questioned, Mr.. Buck answered that
| the association, in asking broadcast
ers to pay for using songs, does not
dtfferentiate between a station oper-
| ateu by radio manufacturer or one
Sperted by = newspaper. He contend
! ed that when people hear a song over
| the radio they do not care to buy it.
| and said that the continual use of q
! song in the air made the people sick
of it,
Victor Herbert and John Philip
| Sousa also opposed the bill, contend
! ing that the present copyright law
should not be changed.
+. c. Mills OF the Publishers Asso-
cation, explained that no we'll bal
/ made up of songs by one publisher or
/ author. and that the radio advertised
! songs to death. Mr.. Mills is looking
/ forward to the time when the radio
| rdns Will have to pay fee for their
/ amusement and believes that radio is
/ an unfair competitor of every form
| Of amuSem ment.
t Ellis Parker Butler on behalf OF
me Authors League, told the commit-
! tee that he did not think III. DilI
/ bill should be considered for i've or
ten years, because OF the newness of
the radio art, and that the bill would
lie a step backward
Augustus Thomas PLAYWRIGHT sfafed
/ that radio is eating into the proceeds
OF the legitimate stage He believes
the bill IS unconstitutional and un-
wise.
| Nathan Burkha1n, attorney for The
association, went into the legal phases
! or the bill, coutendinS that Congress
gave monopoly to song writers
and authors through the copyright
| law. . .
During the second days hearing
Nathan Burkam, for the Conposers'
ASSOCIATION: Charles Butler of the
Authors Association. Frank \. n
Roland for the American Hotel Asso-
cation: Sidney :. Cohen, president of
the Motion Picture Owners Associa-
ton OF America. and Charles H. Tut
re appeared in rebuttal on behalf Of
the National Association Of Broad
casters.
Mr.. Tuttle stated that radio was the
greatest blessing that science ever
had given 70 man. He r;ddled the case
ol the composers, saying that they
were anxious to pass the buck to the
, llStener-in, but that they failed to
: snow the broadcaSterS how this was
. possible even if they desired to do it,
He claimed that the composers wanted
. the broadcastcrS to join with them in
! an agreement to charge the public. in
which case 1t would be one of the
! greatest monopolies ever realized He
/ denied that radio was emptying NOV
. ing picture houses. The Composers
tax the radio broadcasters and not
the individual songs which they send
out He believes that the music pub
fisher is opposing the bill and not the
writer's and authors
Nathan Burkam. on behalf of the
! Composers Association, accused all
the broadcaSterS of broadcaSting for
profit. referring to them as 'organiZed
pirates" but declared that the COM
posers We're not monopoliSts.
Mr.. Boland. speaking for the hotel
owners. explained that exclusive
rights in copyright law means legal