The clock is ticking on a massive pay cut for American musicians, and some of the industry\u2019s heaviest hitters are calling on Congress to step in.<\/p>\n
At stake is nearly $300 million in annual European radio royalties.<\/p>\n
In a joint letter sent to congressional leaders this week, a coalition of 58 legendary artists led by KISS<\/strong> frontman Gene Simmons <\/strong>have urged Washington to immediately pass the American Music Fairness Act <\/strong>(AMFA).<\/p>\n For decades, the United States<\/strong> has shared an embarrassing distinction with Cuba, Iran<\/strong>, and North Korea<\/strong>: we do not pay performers when their music is broadcast on AM\/FM radio.<\/p>\n While a 2020 European Court of Justice<\/strong> ruling temporarily forced EU radio to pay American musicians, the European Commission <\/strong>is now moving to reinstate “material reciprocity.” In short, if American AM\/FM radio won’t pay European artists, Europe is going to stop paying ours.<\/p>\n As Simmons warned in a Wall Street Journal<\/strong> op-ed:<\/p>\n The sheer star power behind this push highlights how vital this issue is to the creative community. The letter boasts superstar signatures from across the musical spectrum:<\/p>\n Aerosmith \u2022 Barbra Streisand \u2022 Belinda Carlisle \u2022 Billy Idol \u2022 Bonnie Raitt \u2022 Boyz II Men \u2022 Carly Simon \u2022 Carole King \u2022 Celine Dion \u2022 Cyndi Lauper \u2022 Darius Rucker \u2022 Darryl \u201cDMC\u201d McDaniels \u2022 David Foster \u2022 Dee Snider \u2022 Def Leppard \u2022 Don McLean \u2022 Duran Duran \u2022 Foreigner \u2022 Gavin Rossdale \u2022 Gene Simmons \u2022 Gloria Estefan \u2022 Gloria Gaynor \u2022 Hootie & The Blowfish \u2022 Huey Lewis \u2022 Jackson Browne \u2022 James Taylor \u2022 Jason Aldean \u2022 Jason Mraz \u2022 Jefferson Starship \u2022 Jelly Roll \u2022 Joan Jett \u2022 Josh Groban \u2022 Julian Lennon \u2022 Katharine McPhee \u2022 Kool and the Gang \u2022 LeAnn Rimes \u2022 Lee Ann Womack \u2022 Lee Greenwood \u2022 Lil Jon \u2022 Lisa Loeb \u2022 Master P \u2022 Mariah Carey \u2022 MC Lyte \u2022 Melle Mel \u2022 Mickey Guyton \u2022 Mike Love \u2022 M\u00fda \u2022 Nancy Wilson \u2022 Peter Frampton \u2022 P!nk \u2022 Randy Travis \u2022 R.E.M. \u2022 Sammy Hagar \u2022 Sarah McLachlan \u2022 Smokey Robinson \u2022 Steve Miller \u2022 TLC \u2022 Tori Amos<\/p>\n But this isn’t just about protecting the superstars, either. European royalties represent a critical lifeline for session musicians, backing vocalists, and all independent creators who rely on these streams of income to survive.<\/p>\n The American Music Fairness Act<\/strong> is designed to close the decades-old terrestrial radio loophole while carefully protecting grassroots broadcasting:<\/p>\n Terrestrial radio is a multi-billion-dollar industry built entirely on the backs of the artists who write and record the hits. Yet, US broadcasters have escaped paying performance royalties for decades.<\/p>\n With Europe ready to pull the plug on hundreds of millions of dollars in retaliation, Congress no longer has the luxury of kicking the can down the road.<\/p>\n It’s time to pass The American Music Fairness Act and pay the artists fairly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With $300 million in annual royalties at risk, Gene Simmons and 57 major artists have called on Congress to pass the American Music Fairness Act.","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7834,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"csco_display_header_overlay":false,"csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","csco_page_load_nextpost":"","csco_post_video_location":[],"csco_post_video_location_hash":"","csco_post_video_url":"","csco_post_video_bg_start_time":0,"csco_post_video_bg_end_time":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[515],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7833","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tech-innovation","cs-entry","cs-video-wrap"],"yoast_head":"\n