It might be a money issue, but the PRS saga had the merit of bringing together over 300 local musicians under the same roof. The good news: it wasn’t an awards evening.
By WAYNE FLASK
It’s a strange Monday evening to be sat in the lobby of the Excelsior. Musicians exchange handshakes, compliments or the odd stern glance. Young hotshots Red Electrick are taking it easy with a beer and nodding to anybody who walks by. I join Ruby and Ira Losco, engrossed in one of her interminable phonecalls, down the elevator and into the big hall hired for the occasion.
The encouraging turnout for songwriters’ and musicians’ union UKAM’s extraordinary general meeting is to be expected. At the centre of attention is the royalties issue, where local musicians and the union have been complaining of missing dues from the licences collected by the UK’s Performing Rights Society (PRS). They are squarely supported by the music scene: it is, I may add, an event that deserves its place in history books.
The question on the lips of most of those present is: where is the money?
Howard Keith Debono, once a member of the glorious Limestone Kick, takes the stage. Today he produces and manages the likes of Ira Losco, The Rifffs, Airport Impressions, Red Electrick and Tribali.
In a detailed exposé, he explains how unlike PRS’s statements, much less than the 52% of the royalties collected in 2007 were distributed to Maltese artists, and that Maltese members paid an administration fee of 26%, as opposed to the 15% rate applicable in other European countries. UKAM wants to see changes to a frankly demeaning, ridiculous play rate of €0.56 earned every time somebody’s song is played, by raising it up to €5 per play which would earn the artist up to €2,310 for a top-ten track.
UKAM’s revival began upon the election of Horace Anastasi two years ago, when it started attracting significant interest through the royalties dispute with PRS. In an island where very few people are employed full-time in music, the malaise affecting the scene stems from a lack of money to create an ‘industry’, discouraging many from investing time and money in what they know to do best: music. Nobody speaks of ‘local talent’ anymore – a term that conjured the effeteness of the scene set against its organised, foreign counterpart – the ‘locals’ now produce success stories. Now it’s about whether the talent is finding the right outlet, or being suffocated.
Recounting a discussion with PRS, Temple Studios’ producer David Vella was told that radios and establishments were not interested in playing local music. “That was [former head of PRS] Diana Derrick’s justification as to why they have no or little interest in distributing royalties back to Malta. We all know her version is far from the truth. Maltese music was always played in Malta and we all know how local music has increased, especially since the early 90s.”
Howard Debono tells me the radio stations had been very co-operative in providing the necessary information and playlists to UKAM, but some of them did not have logs, or feared declaring their use local music because pending licences would have worked against them. Using the media to bring a crucial issue to the fore, UKAM attracted PRS’s attention after the press caught on to the dispute, and started applying pressure on the collecting society.
“PRS have had complaints from us since 1991. In some ways we can say that PRS has implemented a crisis management scheme. Basically we made some noise and they reacted. This has been the case ever since. However in 2007 it started to look like PRS would co-operate to implement a monitoring structure. Then, PRS started to give talks to some local members, to inform them that they would do their utmost to improve the situation in Malta after admitting that it was shoved aside in the past,” Debono says.
Still, most writers didn’t get what they were owed and UKAM felt the need to address the past before tackling the future. Talks behind closed doors in the local PRS office led the society to publicise some facts and figures.
“Judging from how they handled its members’ complaints, we cannot be confident of an amicable solution, but we will try,” Debono says. “If the present issue and past royalties are paid, UKAM sees absolutely no problem working hand in hand with PRS to create a structure which so far has been non-existing, and make sure local members benefit accordingly.”
UKAM want to see every artist earn €1,506.72 for every top 10 track, and take it further to a decent €2,310 royalty. But seeing the grievous imbalance in the way airtime is distributed among local artists, what are the implications for non top-10 and non-radio artists?
“One cannot go against popular music or mainstream stations who choose to play a genre over another as this would go against the principle of a popular demand,” Debono says.
“The way to go is to encourage new stations to experiment in other genres and find a niche which is still open. Inviting DJs to seminars is one way to do this. Internet radio is another, as we all know alternative stations abroad are stronger online and sending the message that an artist doesn’t have to rely on radio only. We’ve had acts in Malta pulling a large number of crowds without ever having music played once on the radios. Awareness and education are important to convey this message.”
Judging by the comments of most of the musicians, the meeting did achieve something more than its original purpose of discussing the missing royalties. Among the points raised by the artists are the concerns of the metal community whose space on the local radios has seen a gradual decline in the last years. Most refreshing of all, is the call for action on the radios’ discrimination against music sung in Maltese.
A quick look at the past two years will tell you that bands such as Areola Treat, Brikkuni, No Bling Show, even Mathematikal – all of whom are revered musicians with big live followings – did not earn much airplay on the radios. The feeling is that commercial radios are comfortable with a status quo that excludes alternative, alternative electronica, music sung in Maltese, and metal. But Debono says UKAM shouldn’t interfere directly with the radio stations.
“If a radio station is happy with the listenership it’s attracting, it would be wrong to argue to change playlists. That doesn’t mean UKAM will not apply the necessary pressure on the respective authorities to structure guidelines for a minimum inclusion of local music, whether in Maltese or not, especially on the national channels. Ultimately, we have no right to distinguish between genres and how they’re presented.”
It’s almost eleven by the time UKAM call it a day on its seminal meeting on the royalties saga. Many here have gone without dinner, and the prevailing atmosphere isn't necessarily euphoric. But for Malta’s musicians’ union, the first steps forward are being made. Whether the artists themselves can hold it together and brush simmering rivalries under the carpet, is entirely up to them.
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