RELEASE: Gene Simmons to Senate Hearing on Capitol Hill

Gene Simmons, 2025 Kennedy Center Honoree, will testify alongside SoundExchange President & CEO Michael Huppe on American Music Fairness Act

First Senate hearing since 2009 on legislation to close radio loophole, require big radio corporations, which made $13.6 billion last year in ad revenue, to finally start paying artists for playing their music

WASHINGTON – Gene Simmons, legendary bassist, co-founder, and co-lead singer of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band KISS, will testify before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s Intellectual Property Subcommittee next Tuesday, December 9th, during a hearing on the American Music Fairness Act (S.326/H.R.861), legislation to close the radio loophole and compel radio corporations to pay performers for playing their music.

“Having spent my career in the music and entertainment industry, I understand the vital importance of this issue,” said Simmons, who is receiving the Kennedy Center Honors with KISS this Sunday. “The American Music Fairness Act represents sound public policy. Artists must be properly compensated for their creative work. I look forward to meeting with both Republican and Democratic Senators to discuss why this legislation is crucial for thousands of present and future American recording artists.”

Simmons will testify next Tuesday alongside Michael Huppe, President and CEO of SoundExchange, the non-profit designated by Congress to collect and distribute digital streaming royalties to artists. Huppe has helped lead the fight in recent years to build support for the American Music Fairness Act, a bipartisan bill that ensures radio corporations play by the same rules as every other music delivery platform that pays performers royalties.

“I’m pleased for the opportunity to testify before the Senate next week,” added Huppe. “Recording artists are an essential part of our culture. It’s outrageous that, in 2025, they still are not paid fairly for the work they do. I hope that the Senate will remedy this inequity and act swiftly to pass this important legislation.”

AM/FM radio remains the only major music delivery platform in the United States that still refuses to pay performers for their work. Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, SiriusXM, YouTube, and TikTok all pay performers, while the corporate radio industry earns billions of dollars each year without paying artists fairly. The United States stands as the world’s only democracy that still refuses to pay artists, putting it in the same league as North Korea, Iran, and Cuba. Even Russia and China pay performers royalties.

Simmons, who started his career as a small-venue musician and will be honored at the Kennedy Center on December 7th, was one of more than 300 major artists who sent a letter to Congressional leaders earlier this year urging them to pass the American Music Fairness Act. His support has helped breathe new life into this effort – next Tuesday’s hearing will mark the first time in more than a decade that the Senate has held a hearing on the American Music Fairness Act.

The American Music Fairness Act is sponsored by Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA). The bill takes a balanced approach to ensure artists are fairly compensated when their songs are played on AM/FM radio, require big radio corporations to finally pay their fair share, and help small independent broadcasters thrive. The legislation is supported by a diverse coalition of artists, broadcasters, labels, and music lovers:

• Broadcasters, such as the Alliance for Community Media, Common Frequency, Media Alliance, the National Federation of Community Broadcasters (NFCB), Prometheus Radio Project, and REC Networks – which represent a broad coalition of community broadcasters – also support AMFA.

• Last month, more than a dozen major artists asked Congress not to pass legislation requiring AM radio in new vehicles without also closing the radio loophole for artists.

• More than 300 artists sent a letter to Congressional leaders in February urging them to pass the American Music Fairness Act.

• Country music icon Randy Travis memorably testified before the House last year urging adoption of the legislation.

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.