RELEASE: Major Recording Artists Tell Congress: “No Radio Without Royalties”

Music icons speak out as lawmakers race to pass AM radio mandate

WASHINGTON – More than a dozen major recording artists sent a letter to Congressional leaders this morning urging that they not pass the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act (H.R.979/S.315), legislation the House recently marked up to require every new vehicle in the United States come pre-installed with AM radio, without also passing the American Music Fairness Act (H.R.861/S.326), a bipartisan bill that ensures artists are paid fairly when their songs play on AM/FM radio.

“In the United States of America, every person deserves to be paid for the use of their work. But because of the power held by giant radio corporations in Washington, artists, both big and small, continue to be overlooked, even as every other music delivery platform, including streaming services and satellite radio, pays both the songwriter and performer,” the artists wrote. “When you save the radio industry by mandating its technology remain in cars, we ask that you save the musician too and allow us to be paid fairly when our music is played.”

Today’s letter was signed by music industry icons, including Barry Manilow, Boyz II Men, Carole King, Cyndi Lauper, Debbie Gibson, Def Leppard, Gloria Gaynor, Kool and the Gang, Lee Ann Womack, Lil Jon, Mike Love, Nancy Wilson, Peter Frampton, Sammy Hagar, Smokey Robinson, and TLC. It comes just weeks after the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a markup to advance legislation requiring that every new car manufactured in the United States come pre-installed with AM radio, a platform that played 240 million songs last year without paying performers.

As Congress races ahead in its efforts to benefit the corporate radio industry, which made $13.6 billion in advertising revenue last year, it risks leaving behind the performers whose work makes radio’s business model possible in the first place. AM/FM radio is the only music delivery platform that pays artists nothing for the work they do – Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, and SiriusXM all pay songwriters and performers for their work. The United States is the only democracy in the world that doesn’t pay artists when their music is played on AM/FM radio, putting it in league with North Korea, Iran, and Cuba. Even Russia and China pay artists for their work.

The American Music Fairness Act, which is sponsored by Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA), will ensure music artists are fairly compensated when their songs are played on AM/FM radio, require big radio corporations to finally pay their fair share, and protect small independent broadcasters at the same time.

The full text of the letter to Congressional leaders is embedded below.

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Dear Speaker Johnson, Leader Jeffries, Leader Thune, and Leader Schumer:

Earlier this year, we wrote urging that you take action on the American Music Fairness Act (S.253/H.R.791), legislation that will require that AM/FM radio companies start paying artists for their music. We are grateful for your attention to ensuring America’s recording artists are finally paid for use of our work.

As you may know, some members of Congress are currently seeking to pass legislation that will require every new vehicle manufactured in the United States come pre-installed with AM radio. The passage of the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act (S.315/H.R.979) would mark another major windfall for the corporate radio industry that makes $13.6 billion each year in advertising revenue while refusing to compensate the performers whose songs play 240 million times each year on AM radio stations. Every year, recording artists lose out on hundreds of millions of dollars in royalties in the U.S. and abroad because of this hundred-year-old loophole.

This is wrong. In the United States of America, every person deserves to be paid for the use of their work. But because of the power held by giant radio corporations in Washington, artists, both big and small, continue to be overlooked, even as every other music delivery platform, including streaming services and satellite radio, pays both the songwriter and performer.

We are asking today that you insist that any legislation that includes the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act also include the American Music Fairness Act. We do not oppose terrestrial radio. In fact, we appreciate the role that radio has played in our careers and within society, but the 100-year-old argument of promotion that radio continues to hide behind does not ring true in 2025.

When you save the radio industry by mandating its technology remain in cars, we ask that you save the musician too and allow us to be paid fairly when our music is played.

Thank you again for your consideration of this much-needed legislation.

Sincerely,

Barry Manilow

Boyz II Men

Carole King

Cyndi Lauper

Debbie Gibson

Def Leppard

Gloria Gaynor

Kool and the Gang

Lee Ann Womack

Lil Jon

Mike Love

Nancy Wilson

Peter Frampton

Sammy Hagar

Smokey Robinson

TLC