With a letter signed by more than 300 music artists, Boyz II Men traveled to Capitol Hill to meet with influential senators over the American Music Fairness Act.
Boyz II Men shared the letter with lawmakers today, and it has signatures from artists from a wide range of genres, ages, and styles. Aerosmith, Barbra Streisand, Becky G, Bonnie Raitt, Carly Simon, Carole King, Celine Dion, Darius Rucker, David Foster, Elvis Costello, Gene Simmons, George Strait, Gloria Estefan, James Taylor, Jewel, Joan Jett, Josh Groban, Lil Jon, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mariah Carey, Matchbox Twenty, Miranda Lambert, Ozzy Osbourne, P!nk, Reba, Sheryl Crow, Stevie Nicks, TLC, Train, Weezer, and many more are among them.
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Nathan Morris, Shawn Stockman, and Wanya Morris of Boyz II Men said, “We are honored to be on Capitol Hill today meeting with lawmakers and requesting that they pass the American Music Fairness Act.” “Right and wrong are at issue here. Musicians and backing singers are among the artists who put in a lot of effort to provide music that makes millions of people happy. The fact that large radio corporations can earn billions of dollars annually from advertisements while refusing to pay royalties to the musicians whose music initially draws listeners is absurd. We hope that this law will be passed by Congress after hearing the artists’ opinions.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA), Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), and Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) are among the important lawmakers that the renowned R&B group is meeting with.
Last week, US Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced the American Music Fairness Act in the US Senate. In the US House, Representatives Darrell Issa (R-CA), Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Mark Green (R-TN), Tom McClintock (R-CA), and Ted Lieu (D-CA) introduced the bill.
During a House Intellectual Property Subcommittee hearing last June, country music legend Randy Travis, who has a stroke that prevents him from performing, testified about how the American Music Fairness Act will improve the lives of musicians. Artists from other fields are joining in.
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“Radio provided artists who wanted to succeed with free promotion when I was first starting out,” Carly Simon continued. “That isn’t true anymore. Fewer and fewer Americans are listening to the radio to find new music in the digital age. Rather, AM/FM earns billions of dollars annually from advertising without paying the musicians whose music they play. This must stop. The fact that so many musicians are advocating for the American Music Fairness Act today makes me proud.
Nearly two-thirds of radio stations would pay $500 or less for a year’s worth of unrestricted music under the law. A broad coalition of musicians, media outlets, record labels, and music fans support the bipartisan measure. These include REC Networks, the National Federation of Community Broadcasters (NFCB), the Media Alliance, Common Frequency, the Alliance for Community Media, and Prometheus Radio Project.
The complete letter from Boyz II Men is available below:
To Leader Jeffries, Leader Schumer, Speaker Johnson, and Leader Thune:
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To produce the sound recordings that we all recognize, cherish, and adore, musicians put in a tremendous amount of effort. However, when our music is played on AM/FM radio, artists like us are still not compensated, making the United States the only democratic country in the world. Fortunately, laws have been put in place to address this unfairness, which has prevented us from receiving compensation on terrestrial radio for many years. We encourage you to support and pass the American Music Fairness Act so that we may continue to fight for the right to fair compensation for music creators.
Under the American Music Fairness Act, broadcasters in the United States would be required to pay for our music when it is played on AM/FM radio. This bipartisan initiative simply asks radio stations to follow the same guidelines as streaming services, digital platforms, and other businesses that already compensate musicians for playing our music. The bill protects genuinely modest broadcasters by permitting them to play limitless music for $1.37 per day, even if it mandates that corporate radio giants pay artists their fair share.
Corporate broadcasters have unfairly taken advantage of a long-standing legal loophole to profit from advertising resulting from the unrestricted usage of free music for decades. Nearly a billion songs are played on AM/FM radio stations annually. Additionally, massive radio companies earn billions of dollars every year from advertising while ignoring the musicians who provide the music that draws in their sponsors and supports their entire business strategy.
This injustice hits us overseas as much as American artists at home. Because the United States lacks a performance royalty, the majority of foreign nations do not pay us when our music are performed in their nations. The United States is now one of the few countries that does not compensate artists for their labor, joining the questionable ranks of North Korea, Cuba, and Iran. For artists like us in the United States, this equates to lost revenue of about $300 million annually. You can make sure that this money stays in the US by endorsing the American Music Fairness Act.
Our demand for justice is not unique. Since Jimmy Carter, every president has supported compensating musicians for AM/FM radio appearances. And the vast majority of Americans support our position on this matter. According to a recent nationwide survey conducted on behalf of the musicFirst Coalition, which advocates for justice and equity for musicians, 73% of Americans think it is unjust that musicians are not compensated when their songs are broadcast on the radio. And by a 6-1 vote, Americans back Congress’ efforts to rectify this inequity by enacting laws like the American Music Fairness Act.
It’s time for our country to catch up with the rest of the developed world and guarantee that diligent musicians receive just compensation.
We value your consideration and support of this urgently needed law. To ensure that American artists are ultimately compensated for their labor, we look forward to collaborating with you and your team.
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