Paul Williams Gets Musicians Paid At ASCAP, And Inspires Daft Punk
Every time a song gets played, someone gets paid. The group that makes this transaction happen is ASCAP: the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. ASCAP turns one hundred years old in 2014, and is sailing into some uncharted waters in the age of Pandora, Spotify, and other streaming services.
At the helm as President and Chairman of ASCAP is singer, songwriter, and actor Paul Williams. Williams' productive, idiosyncratic career has included writing songs for David Bowie, Three Dog Night, The Carpenters -- and, perhaps most notably, "The Rainbow Connection" for The Muppet Movie. He also recently appeared on Daft Punk's latest album Random Access Memories.
And Williams' career as an actor has been just as diverse: He’s had starring roles in Battle For The Planet Of The Apes, Smokey And The Bandit, Brian de Palma’s Phantom Of The Paradise, and character spots on a number of TV shows. His new book, Gratitude And Trust: Recovery Is Not Just For Addicts, will be released in 2014.
In an interview with Soundcheck host John Schaefer, Williams discusses his dual roles -- making music and protecting the rights of musicians like himself.
Interview Highlights
Paul Williams, on music streaming services:
Why would I not want Pandora to be a huge success? You have 70 million, 75 million people are listening to our music, why wouldn't I want that? I'm a songwriter! We want them to be a great success, but Pandora is suing us to pay less than they have been paying. They pay eight cents per thousand streams. You cannot make a living in music with that kind of a payment system.
On how streaming services compensate musicians:
I don't want to see people who are listening to music pay more, I love the idea of music being delivered to people who love our music for free. What we do want is people who are making money by transmitting the music to pay a fair compensation.
On how current royalties and compensation rules don't incentivize creativity:
Bill Withers had one of the best lines ever, talking to a senator, he said, "You know, Senator, if things don't change, we aren't going to be able to make a living doing our songs, we're going to have to find something else to do for a living. And Senator, you do not want Ozzy Osbourne as your plumber."
On working with the Muppets:
The best job ever is to wake up in the morning, reach over and smack that alarm clock, and realize today I'm going to work with Kermit. Today I'm going to go play in the sand with Jim Henson. It's been the greatest collaboration of my life. He is the Jimmy Stewart of frogs.
Visit Paul's site about his upcoming book, "Gratitude and Trust."
