iHeartMedia has responded to FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr’s request to Chairman/CEO Bob Pittman for information regarding securing artists for the iHeartCountry Festival. Carr sent a letter to Pittman inquiring if the company pays the artists playing at the festival and if any preferential on-air consideration is given to artists who perform.
“It would be particularly concerning to me if, on the heels of the FCC’s Enforcement Advisory, iHeart is proceeding in a manner that does not comply with federal ‘payola’ requirements,” the letter read in part. “Indeed, I want to know whether iHeart is effectively and secretly forcing musicians to choose between, one, receiving their usual, ordinary, and full-scale compensation for performing or, two, receiving less favorable airplay on iHeart radio stations.”
In its response, iHeartMedia said, “We look forward to demonstrating to the Commission how performing at the iHeartCountry Festival – or declining to do so – has no bearing on our stations’ airplay, and we do not make any overt or covert agreements about airplay with artists performing at our events.”
iHeartMedia explained that artists that perform their festivals receive “the same kind of promotion that we see with artists on talk shows, late-night television, the Super Bowl and in digital music performances and events: the promotional value to the artists is the event itself, and, in our case, is unrelated to our radio airplay.”
The full statement from iHeartMedia, via The Hollywood Reporter is below.
We appreciate FCC Chairman Carr’s interest in ensuring the radio industry is compliant with all applicable laws and regulations and will be responding expeditiously to the specific questions posed in the Chairman’s letter about iHeart’s upcoming Country Festival.
The Commission’s recent Enforcement Advisory to the radio industry as a whole stated that manipulating airplay based on artist participation in station events without proper disclosure violates federal laws.
We look forward to demonstrating to the Commission how performing at the iHeartCountry Festival – or declining to do so – has no bearing on our stations’ airplay, and we do not make any overt or covert agreements about airplay with artists performing at our events.
The iHeartCountry Festival provides the same kind of promotion that that we see with artists on talk shows, late night television, the Super Bowl and in digital music performances and events: the promotional value to the artists is the event itself, and, in our case, is unrelated to our radio airplay. We’re very proud that over the years we’ve had artists ask us to be a part of the iHeartCountry Festival, and in fact we’ve had artists make repeat appearances over the years because it is an important event that enables them to reach our audiences and enhance their careers.