ASCAP tracks radio plays and online streams. It's the federally designated company to handle royalty payments to musicians/performers. I don't think the governm

ASCAP tracks radio plays and online streams. It's the federally designated company to handle royalty payments to musicians/performers. I don't think the government controls music. If journalists' royalties were based on defined metrics, I don't see this increasing government control. As far as audience taste, you're certainly right. However, balancing this are the type of people supporting IndieGoGo, Kickstarter, and NPR. I think it would take a lot of planning and research to design optimal rules for a royalty program like this. But I think the chances of getting good results are better than the current path we're on.