Entertainment & Sports
Aug. 17, 2002
Senator Pulls Rights Bill for Recording Artists
LOS ANGELES - Because of a stalemate between recording artists and the Recording Industry Association of America, State Sen. Kevin Murray, D-Los Angeles, announced Thursday that, at the request of the artists' representatives, he will not be moving SB1246 this year.
Instead, Murray said he will return next year with a comprehensive legal package on recording artists' rights, which will include the seven-year statute, accounting practices, health care pension and benefits.
"After months of negotiations on the seven-year issue, the RIAA and the recording artists were at an impasse on several major points," said Don Henley, co-founder of the Recording Artists' Coalition, in a statement issued by Murray's office.
"Rather than giving a simple, forthright account of the situation, the RIAA chose to send out a misleading and contradictory press release which was the final straw in the negotiations," said Henley, who is the lead vocalist for the rock band the Eagles.
Murray was unavailable for comment.
The bill calls for the repeal of the 1987 amendment of the labor code Section 2855, which singled out recording artists "to be treated differently than all other persons rendering personal services in the state of California," according to the Recording Artists' Coalition.
It requires them to sign a seven-year contract and to produce a specified number of albums.
The bill had been held up in a procedural battle that began last month.
It was not given the necessary rule waiver to be heard by the policy committees in the Assembly, according to the statement.
In a last-minute maneuver, the language of the bill was amended into SB2, which states only that "it is the intent of the Legislature to provide adequate funding for the operation of state government."
The bill was given a committee hearing date of Thursday and would have to be heard today before going to the full Assembly and be returned to the Senate by Aug. 31.
Christina Landers
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