GRAMMYs

Peter Asher

Photo: Cheriss May/NurPhoto/Getty Images

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Advocacy Spotlight: Peter Asher's Fab Advocate Track Record & New Beatles Book

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A look inside the Los Angeles Chapter Governor and super producer's staggering history in music and contributions to creators' rights
Nate Hertweck
Advocacy
Oct 30, 2019 - 2:33 pm

Few careers in music have spanned as much time, distance and greatness as Peter Asher's. More than 55 years after his musical journey began, Asher stands today as one of music's strongest advocates, fighting for the rights of creators to receive proper protection and fair compensation for their work.

Dating back to the mid-'60s, Asher broke onto the music scene with his British pop duo Peter and Gordon, striking gold in 1964 with their first single, the Paul McCartney-written "A World Without Love." Asher's Beatles connections would deepen in the years that followed, and he ran A&R for the band's Apple Records label, singing a young James Taylor and producing several albums that would send his career into the stratosphere. A two-time winner of the Producer Of The Year GRAMMY Award, he went on to work with Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Carol King, Cher, Hans Zimmer and many more.

Asher's music industry perspective is as unique as his experience. In an ever-changing landscape of the music industry, he has been instrumental in fighting for artists left out in the cold due to "pre-1972" loophole in the music licensing system. Many legacy acts can now receive compensation for their work when it's played on digital services under the game-changing Music Modernization Act, which was ardently supported by Asher.

More recently, he has also advocated for The Copyright Alternative Small Claims Enforcement (CASE) Act (S. 1273), which recently passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 410-6. The bill empowers songwriters of all levels by establishing a small claims court for copyright infringement cases, removing the cost prohibitive barriers for songwriters who couldn't afford costly federal court action to protect their work.

Earlier this month, Asher hosted a conversation with Congressman Jimmy Gomez (CA-34) during District Advocate day at the GRAMMY Museum, discussing key issues to music creators. No stranger to supporting the Recording Academy's Advocacy initiatives, he has also participated and performed at other District Advocate events as well even hosted GRAMMYs on the Hill in 2018. Earlier this year GRAMMY Week, Asher used the opportunity of the spotlight being on Music's Biggest Night to speak with lawmakers about how the policy they pass affects the music community.

Peter Asher Shares How He Got Behind The Board

Asher currently serves as the Recording Academy Los Angeles Chapter Governor and Advocacy Representative, where he continues to speak up on behalf of music makers of all kinds.

Asher's latest production is a new kind of Beatles book, The Beatles From A to Zed: An Alphabetical Mystery Tour, wherein he takes an alphabetical approach to recalling songs, instruments and other assorted terms and memories letter by letter. The idea for a book grew out of Asher telling these stories on his weekly Sirius XM radio show, Peter Asher: From Me To You. With so many fascinating memories to share, a book seemed inevitable. But the format had to be fresh.

"It seems like everyone Beatles-related has written a book… I was (talking) more about music and songs, along with some stories," Asher told Billboard. His account of all things Fab Four offers a completely different experience from a conventional autobiography, and in many ways reflects Asher's bottomless knowledge and boundless creativity.

The Beatles From A to Zed: An Alphabetical Mystery Tour was released Oct. 29 and is available here. To add your voice to Asher's in support of the CASE Act, contact your Senators and urge them to support all creators by co-sponsoring the act.

District Advocate Day 2019: Music Creators Raise Their Voices Across The U.S.

GRAMMYs

Karyn A. Temple

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D.C. Report: Judiciary Committee Brings Copyright Back Into Focus

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Today's House Judiciary Committee hearing touched on crucial copyright matters such as setting up the MLC for success, passing the CASE Act, and more
Nate Hertweck
Advocacy
Jun 26, 2019 - 5:00 pm

Since the historic passage of the Music Modernization Act, the Copyright Office has been busy implementing its provisions. That process, along with additional copyright updates, was the focus of today's House Judiciary Committee hearing with Karyn A. Temple, Register of Copyrights and Director of the U.S. Copyright Office as witness. In what has become a divisive committee of late, Democrats and Republicans put differences aside today to discuss the pending designation of the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC), active legislation like the Copyright Alternative in Small Claims Enforcement Act (CASE) Act, and other issues in the copyright space.

Starting with the MLC, Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) entered a letter from Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow and Chairman Harvey Mason Jr. into the hearing’s official record, using it to help frame his questioning for Temple regarding the Copyright Office’s views on how the MLC will distribute funds and ensure payments reach the songwriters who've earned them. The letter from the Academy’s leaders reinforced its formal comments on the MLC designation process. Last month, the Academy’s comments helped shape follow-up meetings between the Copyright Office and the two MLC candidates in which the Copyright Office posed many of the same questions recommended by the Academy regarding unmatched songs, unclaimed royalties, and songwriter outreach.

With the July 8 deadline for designating who will administer the MLC quickly approaching, many other committee members also raised questions on the process, including Rep. Martha Roby (R-Ala.), Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla), and Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), who represents the Recording Academy home office. All of these voices expressed similar inquiries on how the Copyright Office is ensuring all songwriters are paid properly, that data matching is robust, and that effective outreach and education to the songwriter community is conducted.

Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) also urged the Copyright Office to ensure diverse representation on the MLC board. Looking ahead, Rep. Lieu asked about appropriate oversight and accountability of the MLC once it's up and running. Clearly, the Committee is highly committed to and invested in the MLC's success.

The other legislation taking the spotlight at the hearing was the CASE Act, a bill with strong bipartisan support that has already secured more co-sponsors than ever before—including more than half of the Judiciary Committee. The bill would allow creators without the resources to engage in expensive litigation the opportunity to protect their work via the creation of a new small-claims copyright court. Ranking Member Doug Collins (R-Ga.) kicked things off expressing strong support of the CASE Act to help small and independent creators protect their copyright. Likewise, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), the bill’s lead sponsor and most recent recipient of the GRAMMYs on the Hill Award, also outlined the need for CASE. Throughout the hearing, Temple showed emphatic support for the bill

Hopefully, the next big step forward for the CASE Act is a mark-up of the bill before the August recess.

There were also a number of questions regarding allowing the Sec. 119 STELAR compulsory license, which allows satellite providers to retransmit broadcast television content, to expire. Of course, and as we've reported, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) strongly opposes being forced to give their content to other video services without consent, an impossible stance to reconcile with their insistence on using artists' music without consent or compensation.

Overall, the hearing included a swell of healthy dialogue surrounding creators' rights, legislative collaboration and the future of Copyright law. As Recording Academy Senior Director of Advocacy Todd Dupler summarized the events in his live tweet thread of the hearing, "House Judiciary hearings have often been contentious & controversial this year, but today's hearing was a great reminder that lawmakers can still work together in a bipartisan fashion."

From Advocate To Board Chair: Harvey Mason Jr.'s Tireless Quest For Creators
 

GRAMMYs

Sen. Ron Wyden (D–Ore.)

Photo: Chris Kleponis-Pool/Getty Images

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CASE Act Update: Why Won’t Senator Wyden Support Music Makers?

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A new billboard, an enlightening op-ed and a mounting online surge of support for music creators are all asking: why won't Oregon's Sen. Wyden release his hold on the bill?
Advocacy
Jan 15, 2020 - 4:38 pm

The Copyright Alternative Small Claims Enforcement Act (CASE Act) has gained bipartisan backing and widespread support from across the creative community – so why hasn't this bill become law? Sen. Ron Wyden (D–Ore.) continues his hold on the bill, unwilling to compromise.

Fortunately, a surge of grassroots activism from many types of creatives, including music creators, is turning up the heat on Sen. Wyden. Oregonians and creators across the country alike have built increase online activity to pressure Sen. Wyden to reconsider and remove the hold, including the hashtag  #JustOne designed to highlight that only one lawmaker is standing in the way of this bill becoming law.

Most notably, a new billboard went up near Sen. Wyden's office in Portland that draws attention to Wyden’s hold on the creative community. Additionally, an op-ed ran today in the The Oregonian titled "Sen. Wyden, Please Don't Harm Oregon's Music Scene." Written by four current and past Recording Academy leaders, including Stone, Sylvia Massey, Amy Dragon and Amber Sweeney, outlines why the CASE Act is, "A vital piece of legislation that will empower music creators."

"Indie creators are uniquely vulnerable to the realities of the modern music industry. With the massive expense of litigation to protect intellectual property, they are crushed under the weight of a copyright system which leaves music creators unable to claim ownership of what’s rightfully theirs," the article states, concluding with, "Will Sen. Wyden support the music creators in our state, or will he go down in history as the senator who killed this important bill?"

As part of the rollout of the billboard, which went up earlier this week, Oregon creators shared their reasoning for erecting it during a press briefing today where they further articulated their frustrations with Sen. Wyden’s continued hold on the bill.

Participating in the briefing are several members of Oregon's creative community, including MIT Portraits' Bryan Welsh, photographer Lisa Dillon, Executive Director of Music Portland Meara McLaughlin, Polara Studios' Michael Shay, Immediate Past President of Oregon Professional Photographers Association and Light Science Studios' Sam Tarrel, as well as producer, vocalist, DJ and former Recording Academy Trustee Tyler Stone.

This diverse and passionate roster participants in today's briefing are a testament to the impact the hold on the bill has on creators in Oregon and beyond.

The CASE Act would fix the current system makes it expensive and complex for creators to fight against infringement of their work in a federal court by setting up a simpler and more streamlined small claims court. The bill recently passed by a landslide 410-6 vote in the House and will move to the Senate next. Sen. Ron Wyden's hold might come as little surprise, considering he also previously opposed the Music Modernization Act (MMA).

Indeed, the critical question remains whether Sen. Wyden will continue to decide the fate of the CASE Act. Now is the time to contact Sen. Wyden to let him know you stand with the bill that will simplify and streamline the process for all creators to defend their work against infringement.

What's Ahead In 2020 For Music Creators' Rights?

GRAMMYs

RAINNE

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Meet RAINNE: L.A.'s Dark-Pop Duo On A Meteoric Rise

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Inside their journey from GRAMMY Camp and GRAMMY U to the Hollywood Bowl opening for some of music's biggest stars and the event that raised over $450k for MusiCares
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Dec 20, 2019 - 4:09 pm

Even if you aren't yet familiar with RAINNE, the L.A.-based duo consisting of singer/songwriter Annie Dingwall and saxophonist/engineer Justin Klunk, you're definitely familiar with the artists they opened for on Oct. 19 at "We Can Survive" at the Hollywood Bowl: Taylor Swift, Lizzo, Camila Cabello, the Jonas Brothers, Billie Eilish, Becky G, Halsey, and Marshmello. So how did they get there?

The short answer is RAINNE was selected out of over 14,000 artists who entered the Opening Act contest, 97.1 AMP Radio, and Radio.com, ultimately winning the grand prize opening slot on the bill and $10,000. Remarkably, the event also raised a whopping $450,000 for MusiCares  toward its efforts to ensure music people have a place to turn in times of financial, medical and personal need.

The long answer stretches back nearly a decade, to when Dingwall and Klunk first met as part of the GRAMMY Museum's GRAMMY Camp music industry program for high school students. Their journey to the Hollywood Bowl stage also went through GRAMMY U, the Recording Academy's university network for college students, and USC's Popular Music Program, which they both attended.

Now, with the momentum of their Hollywood Bowl debut and a string of infections singles like "Psycho Killer," Hollow" and the newly released "Sin," RAINNE are just getting started. The Recording Academy caught up with the rising dark-pop duo to hear about their experience at "We Can Survive," the evolution of their sound and more…

First of all – for the uninitiated – tell us more about RAINNE's music. Where do you feel your unique dark-pop comes from?

Dingwall: It has definitely been a journey to find our own sound. Both Justin and I have a wide array of music influences, so it’s been fun to draw our favorite aspects from those different genres and incorporate them in our music. From a songwriting perspective, the songs we put out all have a couple common threads that weave them together – both musically and lyrically – and darker sounds and lyrics are definitely one of those motifs that define our sound.

Klunk: Our music and ‘voices’ have been evolving since we met, and this is where we feel the most comfortable expressing ourselves right now. 

That's right, you met at GRAMMY Camp. What do you remember about the program and has it helped you in your career?

Klunk: Personally, GRAMMY Camp was a major part of my musical education. Prior to the camp, I was really oblivious to the other jobs and responsibilities involved with putting on a show, or creating a record. The only thing on my mind was to play the saxophone, and the camp really opened eyes to the industry. It was inspiring for me to see while I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do for a living. And the program still affects us to this day. We keep in touch with a bunch of GRAMMY Camp alumnus, and it’s great to see how everyone is pursuing and thriving in their own endeavors.

In January, I’m actually going to be a part of the GRAMMY In The Schools Alumni band, so that’ll be a ton of fun to see some familiar faces.

Dingwall: I don’t think I realized back then just how impactful going to GRAMMY Camp would be on my life and career. It was a huge part of my musical foundation and introduction to Los Angeles – and introduced me to my best friend and band mate! I am so grateful to have met and worked with so many amazing people at Camp and so happy that they continue to be a part of our lives.

After GRAMMY Camp, how did you two start RAINNE?

Dingwall: RAINNE was a long time coming for us. After Camp, through college, and for a good time after graduation, Justin and I were playing shows together, but at the same time pursuing our own solo interests and projects. Justin released a few instrumental saxophone EPs and toured with Ariana Grande, Saint Motel, and many others, and I released some solo material and was writing for other artists and tv/film projects, but all the while we continued playing shows together. I think over the years we both felt the most comfortable and creative when performing together, and decided that we wanted to do that more than any of the other things we had going on. We decided to become a band a couple years ago and haven’t looked back since.

As a duo, how do you like to work together? What's your songwriting and production process?

Klunk: Our approach to the band is to utilize each other’s strengths and pick up the slack where one of us may fall short. We each bring a different set of skills to the band that compliment each other very well. Historically Annie has been the main songwriter for the group and I have focused more on the live band arrangements, but as we grow we are both becoming heavily involved in every aspect of the band. We have teamed up with amazing producers who understand the sound we are trying to achieve and help us make recordings we are proud to share with the world.

I also understand you participated in GRAMMY U. What was your experience like?

Klunk: GRAMMY U was wonderful. We got to attend and participate in a ton of events while we were in college – even a battle of the bands. There were even a few GRAMMY Career Days we was able to participate in, which were a blast. The various panels in L.A. and at the GRAMMY Museum were really great to check out.

Dingwall: The opportunity learn directly from successful people in the industry is something that not everyone has access to, and we were grateful to be a part of an organization that afforded us those possibilities.

How did you get involved with the Opening Act contest for "We Can Survive," and what do you think set you apart from the thousands of entrants?

Dingwall: Funny enough, Justin saw an ad for the competition on Instagram. He entered us and didn’t tell me about it until a few days afterwards. To be honest, we thought it was such a long shot, but we ended up progressing through the multiple rounds and when we got into the Top 16, we thought “Hey! Someone from the Top 16 has to win – and that someone could be us!”. The outpouring of love and support we received throughout this whole process was amazing and incredible. We are so honored and grateful to everyone who helped us get to the Hollywood Bowl. Not only that, but a portion of the votes was donated to MusiCares – which is an organization we fully support and had been involved with in the past. They do amazing things for the music community and we are happy to contribute in any way that we can. “We Can Survive” is a really special night at the Bowl and we loved to be a part of such a magical night supporting a great cause.

How did it feel performing at the Hollywood Bowl, especially on such a stacked bill. Any surprising moments?

Klunk: It was INCREDIBLE! We were obviously a bit nervous; not only was it an iconic stage, but a ridiculously stacked lineup. We just made sure to over-prepare during our rehearsal process so that we were ready for any curveball that could come our way. We found that the entire production team and staff were the kindest people ever, and they really treated us just like any of the other artists or bands on the bill. Words can’t describe how smooth they made that process and how welcomed they made us feel. 

With such a prolific and successful 2019 behind you now, what's next for RAINNE in 2020?

Dingwall: We are definitely looking forward to seeing what is in store for us in 2020. Right now we have big plans to release tons of new music and grow our fanbase.

Klunk: We also really want to tour and play even more shows than we played this year. We’d love to be opening for another artist on the road. Our shared love for performing is what got us started and we want to continue sharing that with as many people as possible! 

Meet The Real Ironman: Michael McDonald To Race On Behalf Of MusiCares

GRAMMYs

Karyn A. Temple

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Karyn Temple To Exit U.S. Copyright Office: How The CASE Act Can Continue Her Great Work

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As the current Register of Copyrights prepares to move on to a new role, we look at how the CASE Act is still setup for success and what's left to be done
Nate Hertweck
Advocacy
Dec 18, 2019 - 4:23 pm

For the times they are a-changing in Washington. Karyn Temple, who has been instrumental in the successful implementation of the Music Modernization Act (MMA), is leaving her post as the 13th Register of Copyrights at the conclusion of this year. Temple is departing the U.S. Copyright Office to become the Motion Picture Association’s General Counsel. Her dedication to the effort to modernize the Copyright Office has been admirable and will surely be missed.

One of many to congratulate and laud the outgoing Register leading up to her departure, Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden stated that Temple, "Greatly improved [the Copyright Office’s] critical functions and paved the way for a modernized Copyright system."

Temple has been with the Copyright Office since 2013, and even shared the stage for a panel at SXSW in 2017 with the Recording Academy's own Director of Advocacy & Public Policy, Todd Dupler. And her legacy will live on through her many accomplishments such as the establishment of the Mechanical Licensing Collective, compensation for pre-1972 recording artists, and strong devotion to the importance of copyright and creativity.  The Recording Academy sends a big "thank you" to Temple for her efforts to build a better system for music makers.

But Temple's diligent work on behalf of creators won’t stop with her departure. In fact, she leaves behind a Copyright Office that is already effectively implementing last year’s MMA and is well-prepared for the eventual passage of the CASE Act, which will establish a simpler and more streamlined small claims court to empower and protect all songwriters, artists, and creators.

The CASE Act's momentum continued during the Senate Committee on the Judiciary's hearing on Dec. 10, where their discussion of modernization efforts included the Copyright Office's readiness to implement the CASE Act. The hearing also outlined the timeline to name Temple's replacement, with Dr. Hayden saying they'd like to name a replacement in as soon as possible and that she would prefer to coordinate on this decision with the Senator’s offices. In the meantime, Dr. Hayden recently appointed Maria Strong to serve as the Acting Register.

And while passage of the CASE Act would make for a nice cap off to Temple's tenure, the bill is still being blocked by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), who previously opposed the MMA. As lawmakers and the music community alike deepen their understanding of the CASE Act's many benefits. Now is the time to contact Sen. Wyden to tell him know you stand with the bill that will simplify and streamline the process for all creators to defend their work against infringement.

District Advocate Day 2019: Music Creators Raise Their Voices Across The U.S.