PRA battle continues

DON’T LET THEM FOREIGNERS TAKE OUR MONEY: In the continuing battle of the lobbyists over the Performance Rights Act, the musicFirst Coalition (whose membership includes the RIAA, A2IM and the American Federation of Musicians) held a morning press conference yesterday on Capitol Hill introducing the participation of the NAACP, Digital Music News reports. "Being paid fairly for your labor is one of the most basic civil rights," said Hilary Shelton, director of the NAACP's DC Bureau. NAB EVP Dennis Wharton countered with a clever new angle: "The unfortunate truth is that this legislation benefits foreign-owned record labels, to the detriment of struggling artists. This is a job-killing bill that threatens a musician's number one promotional vehicle while transferring hundreds of millions of dollars into the coffers of companies based in Tokyo, Paris and London." Hey man, nice shot.(3/3a)