Recording Academy Members Lobby Congress on Music Licensing Revamp

About 250 musicians affiliated with the Recording Academy returned to Capitol Hill Thursday to lobby​ for a legislative revamp of music licensing law, the industry group said. “Regardless of changes in delivery platforms, music is a valuable commodity whose creators deserve fair compensation,” said academy Chief Industry, Government and Member Relations Officer Daryl Friedman in a blog post for The Hill. Academy members focused on seeking consideration of the Fair Play Fair Pay Act (HR-1733), but also sought support for including provisions from the Songwriter Equity Act (HR-1283) and the Allocation for Music Producers Act (HR-1457) in “any music licensing reform” legislation, Friedman said. “These bills would go far toward leveling the playing field for music creators who currently find themselves squeezed to the margins of an industry that uses their creative endeavors as the basis of their businesses while failing to justly compensate them.” HR-1733 would require most terrestrial radio stations to begin paying performance royalties and would require digital broadcasters to begin paying royalties for pre-1972 sound recordings. The bill would also require satellite broadcasters to pay royalties at market rates. The academy also made HR-1733 the focus of its lobbying last year (see 1504160050).