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Russian musicians hit out at proposal to take major radio firm into State ownership

By Chris Cooke | Published on Wednesday 29 July 2015

A group of popular singers and musicians in Russia have appealed to the country’s President, Vladimir Putin, to halt moves to put a major radio operator in the country into state hands, fearing it is part of a plan to prioritise Russian artists – and especially “patriotic” Russian artists – over Western talent on the airwaves.

The singers seemingly wrote a letter to Putin following the news that the state owned Goskontsert, which reports into Russia’s Ministry Of Culture, was in talks to buy a majority share in the Russkaya Media Group, which owns several popular radio stations in the country as well as TV station RU.TV.

Although the Russian government controls all the major news channels in the country, it doesn’t currently exert its power over music radio. But the move to put RMG into state ownership is – according to Moscow-based business paper Vedomosti – part of a wider initiative supported by both Goskontsert and some directors at the radio firm to develop and support “ideologically correct” pop idols with the goal of ensuring popular support for Russia’s leadership.

The singers opposing the deal point out that RMG’s flagship station Russkoye Radio already plays only Russian language songs, meanwhile many big names within the country’s music community are plenty patriotic enough already, some performing in both the annexed Crimea and areas in eastern Ukraine controlled by Russia-backed rebels, despite the threat of being boycotted in Western countries by doing so.

A spokesman for Putin said he didn’t have the power to intervene on a deal of this kind.