Statement Following Unanimous Passage of the Music Modernization Act by the U.S. House of Representatives

The musicFIRST Coalition today applauded unanimous passage of the Music Modernization Act [H.R. 5447] by the U.S. House of Representatives with a vote of 415-0.

Chris Israel, musicFIRST’s Executive Director, issued the following statement following the legislation’s passage:

“This is an historic day for music creators.  An overwhelming majority of Republicans and Democrats voted to bring U.S. music licensing into the 21^st century and deliver justice for legacy music creators. The musicFIRST Coalition congratulates and thanks House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler, Rep. Doug Collins, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, Rep. Darrell Issa and many others for their unwavering support of this critical legislation and for making today’s historic vote a reality.

“Comprehensive music licensing reform enjoyed broad support in the House and throughout the entire music industry. As the effort to update America’s music laws moves to the Senate, it’s critical for Senators to consider the package of legislation in a holistic rather than individual manner. Enacting the entire Music Modernization Act package approved overwhelmingly by the House will provide much-needed updates to music licensing and create a framework benefiting music creators, listening platforms and fans well into the future.”