"Senator Marsha Blackburn and Rep. Jerrold Nadler today introduced the Ask Musicians for Music Act (AM-FM), which aims to revise existing copyright law for radio stations and musicians.
Under the current copyright system, radio stations can use sound recordings over their airwaves without paying royalties to creators who own a stake in the sound recordings. The AM-FM Act would require all radio services to pay fair-market value for the music they use...
“When music creators share their wonderful gift with the world, we hear songs that inspire and unite us. We should encourage such thriving talent and ensure the music community is properly compensated for their work,” said Senator Blackburn, who introduced the bill in the Senate. “The AM-FM Act will reward singers, songwriters and musicians for their hard work when their music is played on the radio.”
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Chairman of the House Judiciary
Committee, introduced companion legislation in the House of
Representatives. “The United States is an outlier in the world for not
requiring broadcast radio to pay artists when playing their music, while
requiring satellite and internet radio to pay,” he said. “This is
unfair to both artists and music providers. I’m proud to sponsor the Ask
Musician for Music Act of 2019 which would give artists and copyright
owners the right to make a choice to allow AM/FM radio to use their work
for free or to seek compensation for their work. The bill would also
allow them to negotiate rates with broadcasters in exchange for
permission for it to be aired.”"
