“It’s like the great writer William Gibson says—‘The future is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed.’”
In November, the Ben Allison Quartet finished a sold-out three-night stint at Birdland. The performance featured music from the bassist’s latest offering, Moments Inside. Allison wrote seven of the album’s eight songs. Their laid-back grooves could easily appear on playlists at jazz stations across the U.S., but if they air on AM/FM radio he’ll only be compensated as their composer and lose out on royalties paid for their performance.
For years, Allison has worked to change this practice, which has been enshrined in terrestrial radio’s business model since its early beginnings, when broadcasting music on air was deemed
