Music Industry Gives Senate Judiciary a Round of Applause for Unanimous Passage of the Music Modernization Act

The Music Modernization Act (S. 2823) continues to build momentum as it works its way through Congress. Last week, the legislation was passed unanimously out of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Now the comprehensive music licensing reform package moves to the full Senate for a vote.

Here’s what industry leaders had to say following the Senate Judiciary Committee’s passage of the legislation.

“Today, lawmakers continued to make progress on legislation that will result in the most comprehensive music licensing reform in our lifetimes. Music creators have waited long enough for Congress to reform our nation’s outdated copyright laws. Now it’s time for the full Senate to vote on the Music Modernization Act and send a bill to the president for his signature.” – SoundExchange President and CEO Michael Huppe

“We are grateful that the Senate Judiciary Committee has taken the next vital step to advance the Music Modernization Act. Music speaks to all parties, all people, in all places. And when a community comes together as we have done, with no segment getting everything they want but recognizing injustice and working toward a common goal, anything is possible. We welcome the momentum surrounding this bill and thank Senators Grassley, Feinstein, Hatch, Coons, Kennedy and all of the cosponsors, for leading the charge in the Senate to right a long-standing wrong with the CLASSICS Act. We look forward to Senate passage of the entire MMA, and this crucial bill finally becoming law.” – Recording Industry Association of America President Mitch Glazier

“Great music comes from great harmonies. As the organization representing all creators, we are gratified to see the industry and Congress work in harmony to pass the Music Modernization Act through the Senate Judiciary Committee. Following years of advocacy by music creators, we look forward to that momentum continuing as the Music Modernization Act heads to the Senate floor. We thank the Committee for its swift movement of the bill. Through collaboration we can truly make a difference for the hundreds of thousands of working music creators across the country.” – Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow

“With the many important stakeholders involved, it is no small feat for the MMA to have made it this far. Once the MMA is signed into law, songwriters will see more of the money they deserve from streaming services who currently operate off of laws from 1909 and consent decrees from 1941.” – National Music Publishers’ Association President David Israelite

 “ASCAP thanks Chairman Grassley for bringing the Music Modernization Act to mark up and to Senators Hatch, Alexander and Whitehouse for being such stalwart champions of songwriters. We are happy to see this legislation move forward with such broad bi-partisan support. While there is still more work to be done to create a fair environment for songwriters in the digital age, we hope the Senate will move swiftly to pass a version of this bill that preserves the much needed benefits for music creators.” – ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews

“Today’s vote is an important step towards achieving meaningful music licensing reform that will benefit America’s songwriters, composers and publishers. The MMA, if enacted, will help ensure that music creators are compensated fairly for their work. We applaud the unprecedented collaboration across our industry that helped move this bill forward and thank the full Senate Judiciary Committee, particularly Chairman Grassley, Ranking Member Feinstein, and longtime songwriter advocate Senator Hatch, for their leadership and support of this extremely important piece of legislation.” – BMI president and CEO Mike O’Neill