The American Music Fairness Act would ensure performers, not just songwriters, get paid when AM/FM radio stations play their music.
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WASHINGTON — More than 300 recording artists, including some of the biggest names in the music industry, are pressing lawmakers to pass a bill that would require terrestrial radio stations to pay them for the rights to play their songs.
In a letter to congressional leaders obtained by NBC News, music stars like Aerosmith, Barbra Streisand, Céline Dion, Gloria Estefan, James Taylor, Jelly Roll, Lil Jon, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Mariah Carey argue they are missing out on potentially billions of dollars of royalties they feel they are entitled to.
“For decades now, corporate broadcasters have unjustly exploited an antiquated loophole in the law to profit from advertising generated from unlimited use of free music,” the letter reads. “Each year, AM/FM radio stations play nearly a billion songs. And each year, giant radio corporations rake in billions in advertising dollars while refusing to pay a single cent to the artists behind the music.”
The letter calls for swift passage of the American Music Fairness Act, which would create a revenue stream for performers.
In a letter to congressional leaders obtained by NBC News, music stars like Aerosmith, Barbra Streisand, Céline Dion, Gloria Estefan, James Taylor, Jelly Roll, Lil Jon, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Mariah Carey argue they are missing out on potentially billions of dollars of royalties they feel they are entitled to.
“For decades now, corporate broadcasters have unjustly exploited an antiquated loophole in the law to profit from advertising generated from unlimited use of free music,” the letter reads. “Each year, AM/FM radio stations play nearly a billion songs. And each year, giant radio corporations rake in billions in advertising dollars while refusing to pay a single cent to the artists behind the music.”
The letter calls for swift passage of the American Music Fairness Act, which would create a revenue stream for performers.
“When I was starting out, radio offered free promotion for artists who were looking to make it,” singer/songwriter Carly Simon said in a statement. “That’s no longer the case. In the digital age, fewer and fewer Americans are discovering new music on the radio. Instead, AM/FM is making billions of dollars each year in ad revenue without compensating the artists whose songs they play. This needs to end.”
In addition to the letter, R&B stars Boyz II Men will make their case to lawmakers Thursday on Capitol Hill, with plans to meet with a long list of members of both the House and the Senate.
“It’s outrageous that big radio companies are able to make billions of dollars each year in ads while denying royalties to the performers whose music attracts listeners in the first place,” Boyz II Men members Nathan Morris, Shawn Stockman and Wanyá Morris said in a joint statement. “We hope that Congress will listen to the voices of artists and pass this bill.”
Several different versions of the American Music Fairness Act have been introduced over the years, but the bill has yet to get a vote at the committee level.
