NAB reports (Jan-Dec 1943)

can only be settled by the recording and transcription companies and the American Federation of Musicians sitting around a table and both being fair with one an¬ other. Then and then only can this problem be settled. Senator Wheeler. What do you want and whom do you want it from? The committee is entitled to know that. Mr. Petrillo. I will give the committee whatever infor¬ mation I can, Senator. Senator Wheeler. You ordered a strike of your men, or it amounted to a strike. First of all, I have not seen any place just what you are striking for and what you want. The committee is entitled to know, first, what you want and from whom you want it. Senator Tobey. Mr. Chairman, may I put in a word? Senator Wheeler. Certainly. Senator Tobey. I was interested in Mr. Petrillo’s par¬ tial reply to the question. In his answer he said, “This can only be settled if the musicians’ union and the broad¬ casters sit around a table together.” I think he is laboring under a false and incomplete premise. That is not all there is to it, as I understand it. There is a person in this country to whom we refer as John Q. Public. We are interested in Mr. Public in this matter and we propose to study it from that stand¬ point also and have something to say about what is coming out of the situation. That is why you are here and why we are here today. So, please bear in mind that it is not only the musicians’ union and the broad¬ casters, but the public of America, the armed forces, individuals and radio stations, that we are representing, as well as you. Mr. Petrillo. Senator, I did not know that the com¬ mittee would like to sit around the table; I did not know that. Senator Tobey. The interests of all the people have to be taken care of. Mr. Petrillo. We understand that; and the American Federation of Musicians is going to do nothing to take away music from the public. Senator Wheeler. But you have taken it away from the public; and that is the problem that this committee is interested in. After all, it seems to be the philosophy of some of the labor leaders and some of the leaders of industry in this country that all they have to do is to get together, and to hell with the public. The public has an interest in all these matters, just the same as the industry and just the same as labor. What I want to know — and I will repeat it — is, what do you want? Why did you go on strike? What do you want and from whom do you want it? Mr. Petrillo. That is sort of a hard question to answer. I will do the best I can. Up until this moment. Senator, we have not been asked why we have gone on strike against the machine. That is what it amounts to. 4^ >ic ^ Senator Clark of Idaho. When you call a strike, do you not think that the American people are entitled to know what you want? Mr. Petrillo. The American people we always keep in mind. But we have an economic problem here. When a musician makes a machine that destroys himself it is a question of who is going broke first, the radio stations, the recording companies, or the American Federation of Musicians. We say that we do not believe that anybody should go broke. We say we do not believe that the radio stations should dry up, and we will not, gentlemen, make canned music under conditions formerly made by our people, because to continue, I dare say there would be no livelihood for the professional musician in two years. jK >}c ^ ^ Senator Wheeler. What do you want? Mr. Petrillo. We want more work. ^ ^ Senator Clark of Idaho. The very fact that those transcriptions go out through the country and that tune is plugged and plugged and plugged in every phono¬ graph and coin-operated phonograph and on every radio program in the country by electric transcriptions, enables him (Paul Whiteman) to clean up, he and his musicians and other musicians playing that same tune. Mr. Petrillo. You are right; but we are not interested in making Paul Whiteman richer than he is. We are in¬ terested in using Whiteman as a club to put some of our unemployed people to work. Senator Clark of Idaho. But the fact that he makes this recording which is plugged, because people will listen to it because it was made by Paul Whiteman, puts thousands of other dance bands playing that tune. The other dance bands could not put it over themselves unless it was put over in this way. Mr. Petrillo. I cannot agree with you there. Partially, yes. But that is the trouble with the industry. There are only a few bands doing all the jobs. =1= ^ >K Senator Clark of Idaho. Why are they (the musici¬ ans) not in defense industries? Mr. Petrillo. They do not want to go into defense in¬ dustries. They want to be musicians. We will all get into defense industries if Uncle Sam sends for us. Senator Clark of Idaho. You mean, they would rather walk the street? Mr. Petrillo. After all, these people practiced music for ten or fifteen years and they have a right to make a living in their profession. But if Uncle Sam said, “You are all going to make munitions and get off the street” — Senator Clark of Idaho. The automobile dealers have gone out of business. 5}J 5^ * SH Senator Wheeler. But I do want to know, and I think the public wants to know, because nobody has stated what you want and from whom you want it. You have given a great deal of thought and study to the subject, and your organization ought to have something in mind so that you could tell the committee. I think you owe it to yourself, because, frankly, whether it is propa¬ ganda or whatever it is, the fact is that the American public is very much disturbed and a great many people feel that by your actions you are doing a great dis¬ service to the labor movement in this country. Can you not give us just exactly what your solution is? It may not be one that will be accepted by the industry or the broadcasters or somebody else ; but you ought to have in mind what your views are as to what the solution of the problem is, what you want and from whom you want it. Tell us that, if you will. [4]