Dionne Warwick is responding to comments made by Radio One’s Cathy Hughes to Essence, criticizing Warrick for campaigning for the Performance Rights Act, which Hughes says could be a “tax” that prompts the death of black radio. “Nobody is playing Dionne Warwick. When was the last time she had an album,” Hughes said.
Warwick writes on the Huffington Post:
I was surprised when Radio One’s Cathy Hughes added my name to the list of African American artists and civil rights activists she’s attacked in her vicious campaign against fairly compensating musicians for their work. Then again, since smearing African American leaders to protect her profits has become Ms. Hughes siren song, maybe I shouldn’t be surprised at all.
Every time we buy a CD or download a song, the artist is paid for their work. You might not know that this isn’t the case when a musician’s work is played on the radio. That’s because corporate radio CEOs like Cathy Hughes are exploiting a legal loophole that allows them to play these artists songs without paying them for their work.
Read more on what Dionne had to say here.
