Senator Mark Pryor Criticizes Corporate Broadcasters’ Refusal to Pay Artists For Radio Airplay Despite Raking in Hundreds of Millions in Revenue
Washington, DC, August 8, 2023 – Following the the release of iHeartMedia’s Q2 2023 financial results, Senator Mark Pryor, Chairman of the musicFIRST Coalition, issued the following statement:
“iHeart’s hypocrisy and disregard for the music artists that make their entire business model possible was once again on full display during today’s earnings call. As the broadcasting giant celebrated its quarterly financial performance with investors on Wall Street, their efforts to convince lawmakers that they can’t afford to pay music artists a single cent when their music is played on AM/FM radio continue.
The idea that artists should be paid for the use of their work is not a novel concept. In fact, it’s accepted as a basic standard in every other democratic nation, and on every other music platform. But with the help of their lobbying machine at the National Association of Broadcasters, greedy broadcasting behemoths like iHeart are fighting tooth and nail to prevent artists from making a living.
iHeart’s latest earnings report is yet another reminder that big broadcasters like iHeart can afford to pay artists, despite their claims to the contrary. The bipartisan American Music Fairness Act (AMFA) would address this outstanding issue by ensuring music artists receive the basic compensation they deserve for AM/FM radio plays, while also helping to protect small broadcasters. It’s time we hold Big Radio accountable by passing this long overdue, common sense piece of legislation.”
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About musicFIRST
musicFIRST works to ensure music creators get fair pay for their work on all platforms and wherever and however it is played. We rally the people and organizations who make and love music to end the broken status quo that allows AM/FM to use any song ever recorded without paying its performers a dime. And to stand up for fair pay on digital radio — and whatever comes next.
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