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District Advocate Day 2020

 

Courtesy Photo: GRAMMY Advocacy

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District Advocate Day Unites Music Makers & Lawmakers Toward Pandemic Relief

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Nearly 2,000 Recording Academy members – including GRAMMY winners and nominees – took part in over 250 meetings today in the year's largest grassroots music advocacy movement
Advocacy
Aug 12, 2020 - 9:39 am

Worlds collided today, as across the country the Recording Academy's seventh annual District Advocate day brought together the professionals who make the music we love and the members of Congress who make the laws affecting their livelihoods. Academy members engaged in a series of virtual meetings with their elected officials to discuss pressing issues impacting the music community, such as providing pandemic-related relief and assistance to the creative community, pushing for equitable treatment and social justice reforms, and ensuring that the rights of all creators are always protected.

District Advocate Day participants included GRAMMY winners Yolanda Adams, Brandy Clark, José Feliciano, John Legend and Ziggy Marley and GRAMMY nominees Victoria Monét and Offset, plus nearly 2,000 other music professionals.

The event marked the crescendo of the Academy's "Summer of Advocacy," an ongoing effort to help provide pandemic relief for music creators, to support survival of music businesses and to promote positive social change through legislation.

And it’s working. Earlier this year, Academy members helped secure important provisions in the CARES Act that provided critical support for the music community dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Today's conversations between Academy members and their Senators and Congressional Representatives took the next big step to ensure the music community is heard at a critical time for legislative support.

"District Advocate Day has always been an important initiative for music advocacy and it's especially true now," said Harvey Mason jr., Chair and Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy. "Creators are among the hardest hit and first out of work, yet music is what brings the world together in hard times — and for many, it brings hope. Today, we raise our voices to remind legislators of the vital role music plays during this pandemic and, equally as imperative, the creators behind it who are struggling and desperately needing a helping hand from this country's leaders."

With District Advocate day, the Academy continues to amplify the voices of creators and small businesses, while also endorsing and developing additional legislation to deliver aid to creators. For instance, developed and endorsed by the Recording Academy alongside Rep. Linda T. Sánchez (D-Calif.) and Rep. Ron Estes (R-Kansas), the Help Independent Tracks Succeed (HITS) Act would allow individuals to fully expense the cost of new studio recordings on their taxes, up to $150,000, within the same year of production. Academy members encouraged their representatives to co-sponsor the HITS Act during today's meetings.

Members also advocated for passage of the Reviving the Economy Sustainably Towards a Recovery in Twenty-twenty (RESTART) Act, a loan program that would provide funding to cover six months of payroll, benefits, and fixed operating expenses for businesses that have taken a substantial revenue hit during the COVID-19 pandemic. For independent workers with mixed-income types, a category which includes many music creators across the country, the Mixed Earner Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Act proposed a solution to ensure unemployment relief and assist freelance workers unable to receive just unemployment aid. 

Members discussed these key issues and more today in year's largest grassroots music advocacy movement. District Advocate, along with the Recording Academy's annual GRAMMYs on the Hill in April, which is on hiatus this year due to COVID-19, are the Recording Academy's premiere advocacy events, and are credited by bipartisan legislators with helping to pass the Music Modernization Act into law — the largest update to music legislation in the past 40 years. 

For more information about District Advocate Day and Recording Academy advocacy initiatives, visit www.grammy.com/districtadvocate.

Take Action Today: Learn About The Key Issues Facing Creators And How You Can Help

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District Advocate day is Aug. 12

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Countdown To District Advocate Day: What You Need To Know

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One week ahead of the largest virtual music grassroots activation of the year on Aug. 12, here's everything you need to make a difference for music makers
Nate Hertweck
Advocacy
Aug 7, 2020 - 9:31 am

Next week, nearly 2,000 registered Recording Academy members will participate in its seventh annual District Advocate day on Aug. 12. The momentous event marks the culmination of a seven-week "Summer of Advocacy" initiative, all aimed to help provide pandemic relief for music creators, support survival of music businesses and promote positive social change through legislation.

Academy members will meet with their local lawmakers to urge them to consider the challenges creators face in today's economy in light of how music has helped us through the hard times. If music makers and music businesses are going to be able to continue to bring music into the world and into our lives, they need support.

From supporting the newly introduced HITS Act to fixing unemployment benefits to passing the RESTART Act, here are a few key issues on the table for discussion at next week's historic District Advocate day.

Survival Tools For Music Makers

Indie artists need a break, and in times of need, a small tax break could make a big difference. By supporting the Help Independent Tracks Succeed (HITS) Act (H.R. 7886), lawmakers can harmonize the tax treatment of music production with other already existing provisions to get artists back in the studio.

Many music makers are self-employed and rely on a variety of income streams for their livelihoods. The CARES Act provided unemployment to self-employed workers like music creators, but an unintended consequence in the new program prevented "mixed earners" with both traditional and freelance income from getting their fair share. Congress can correct this and fix unemployment for gig workers by passing the Mixed Earner Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Act.

Additionally, now is the time for Congress to extend enhanced unemployment benefits provided by the FPUC program. The program adds $600 to the weekly unemployment benefit, which has been a lifeline in these unprecedented times. With so much of the music industry still on pause in the pandemic, extending these benefits is the right thing to do.

Support Music & Minority-Owned Businesses

As COVID relief enters the next phase, the recording studios, live venues and minority-owned businesses that have been hit particularly hard need to be considered top priorities.

Inexcusably, minority-owned businesses were overlooked by the Paycheck Protection Program and other Small Business Administration programs. Black music is a cornerstone of the music industry, and Congress must ensure that minority-owned businesses, including studios, venues and labels, can get the support they need. Dedicated funding for Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs) will help fix this inequity. Find out more and voice your support for these programs here.

For small and medium-sized businesses struggling to survive through the pandemic, passing the RESTART Act (H.R. 7481/S. 3814) is a must. The bill is essential and will provide a boost to music venues and other music businesses that remain closed with no reopening date in sight.

District Advocate provides a unique opportunity for Academy members to connect with lawmakers about urgent issues and policies affecting music creators and make a difference during such a difficult time. Want to add your voice to the chorus? Take action today, and get for the largest virtual music grassroots activation of the year on Aug. 12, District Advocate day.

Take Action Today: Learn About The Key Issues Facing Creators And How You Can Help

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Summer Of Advocacy: 5 Reasons To Register As A District Advocate Today

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Summer Of Advocacy: 5 Reasons To Register As A District Advocate Today

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Here's how to use your experience in music to make an important difference in how creators are compensated and protected… But hurry, registration closes July 24!
Nate Hertweck
Advocacy
Jul 15, 2020 - 4:22 pm

Are you a Recording Academy member looking for new ways to engage with your community, put your experience in music to work and support the best interests of all creators? Registering as a District Advocate is the best way to make a huge difference this summer.

Recording Academy Members: Register Now To Become A District Advocate

So why should you register to be a District Advocate? On Aug. 12, the Recording Academy will host its seventh annual District Advocate, the largest grassroots music advocacy movement of the year. Registering by the July 24 deadline provides you this unique opportunity to connect with your lawmaker to discuss the urgent issues and policies affecting music creators.

In addition to sharing your perspective, stories and talents with local lawmakers, as a District Advocate, you'll have the chance to call on your Members of Congress to tackle these five key areas:

1. COVID-19 Relief For All Creators Now

In a year wrought with financial uncertainty, it's time for lawmakers to ensure that COVID-19 aid is distributed equitably and reaches all workers and businesses in need. As a District Advocate, your voice can help ensure that underserved Black communities can fully participate in critical relief programs. The convergence of the crippling economic impact of the pandemic and the fight to end systemic racism call for all advocates to acknowledge the need for fair distribution of relief – this is your chance.

2. Extend COVID-19 relief programs

While many music makers have turned to initial relief programs to weather the pandemic, it is clear that Congress must now extend these programs beyond the current expiration date and expand their resources to assist the creative professionals who need it most. As a District Advocate, you'll have the opportunity to tell your representatives first-hand how the pandemic continues to affect the music community and why this relief is so crucial.

3. Small Business & Unemployment Status

"Music is the original gig economy," as Recording Academy Chairman and Interim CEO Harvey Mason jr. put it. District Advocates will underscore the importance of fixing small business and unemployment programs to better reflect the needs of freelance music creators, many of whom operate as small businesses and/or have found themselves unemployed in the wake of the pandemic.

4. Emergency Arts Funding

As so many income streams across the music industry continue to run dry, Congress needs to hear from the music community just how important it is they expand emergency arts funding. Vital organizations and individuals are at risk of not being able to recover from the severe economic impact caused by COVID-19, and this is your chance to let them know why emergency arts funding is a must.

5. Tax Relief & Fair Royalties

Finally, as a District Advocate representing the music community, you’ll champion ways to increase revenues for music makers through targeted tax relief and fairer royalties for music makers.

Best of all, you won't have to wait until Aug. 12 to get started. This year, the Recording Academy will be holding the "Summer of Advocacy," an ongoing initiative aimed to help provide pandemic relief for music creators and music businesses and to promote positive social change through legislation. After registering, you can start your advocacy immediately by taking action here.

Right now, more than ever, we need to come together as the music community in order to create change and push creator-friendly policies forward. Register today and no later than July 24 to play your part in 2020's largest grassroots music advocacy movement. Your fellow music makers for generations to come will thank you!

Recording Academy Members: Register Today To Become A District Advocate

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Photo: Liu Jie/Xinhua/Getty

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Coronavirus Relief Bill Includes Assistance for Music Creators

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The bill extends small business loans and unemployment insurance to music makers, plus gives a boost for the National Endowment for the Arts amid COVID-19
Nate Hertweck
Advocacy
Mar 26, 2020 - 9:23 am

The Recording Academy applauds Congress and the President for stepping in and providing some much-needed economic relief and protections for music creators. Late last night, a stimulus bill of over $2 trillion passed the Senate and is expected to soon pass the House and be signed into law. The even better news is that the bill includes many priorities that covers music creators and other self-employed workers.

Reeling from the devastating economic effects of the Coronavirus, music creators are in need of increased economic relief following wide-spread closures and cancellations of tours, performances and gigs. Like many freelance or self-employed workers, music creators typically don’t enjoy the normal employment protections afforded to salaried or hourly workers, which puts them in jeopardy of not having access to many key protections in the relief package. Fortunately, thanks to the Recording Academy’s extensive advocacy, the spending package includes protections and provisions that put music creators in a better position for immediate and long-term relief.

Among these key protections, the Academy worked to grant new eligibility for self-employed workers to apply for “paycheck protection” loans from the Small Business Administration that can later be forgiven if they are used to provide income support. The bill also incentivizes traditional small businesses to use these loans to continue payments to independent contractors they work with. Self-employed individuals will also be able to apply for special Emergency Injury Disaster Loans.

The Academy also successfully lobbied for new pandemic-related unemployment insurance to be included in the bill, and to ensure that eligibility requirements were extended to self-employed workers. Music makers who qualify will now be entitled to four months of unemployment insurance through their state of residency.

In addition to supporting music creators with these individual protections, the stimulus bill also included a $75,000,000 boost to the National Endowment for the Arts. This big win for music and the arts marks a 50% increase from the 2009 stimulus package, and will go to provide funding and grants to state arts organizations and help fund new projects across the country   

These important victories follow the recent surge of support for music creators to be included in the stimulus, led by the Recording Academy's letter to Congressional leaders outlining the need for relief efforts for the music community. In the letter, Academy Chairman and Interim CEO Harvey Mason jr appropriately stated, "music is the original 'gig economy.'"

The Academy also sent letters with leading entertainment industry organizations, associations and unions outlining a set of shared priorities impacting workers in music, television, film and theatre. The Academy also joined dozens of non-profit arts and culture organizations to advocate for key provisions for artists and arts organizations.

The message to the Hill was amplified by Academy members and music fans via the Academy’s call-to-action online tool, which sent tens of thousands of letters to Congress in support of providing critical assistance and relief for creators..

Members of Congress, heard that call, and weighed in, writing letters of their own advocating for creators' rights. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), along with 36 of his Congressional colleagues, sent a letter to Speaker of the House Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Republican Leader McCarthy (R-Calif.) urging Congressional action for creators. The Congressional Arts Caucus and the Congressional STEAM Caucus co-signed a letter to House Leadership with more than 50 signatures.

Additionally, both House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler and Congressman Doug Collins sent separate letters to House leadership urging support for the creative workforce. 

Last week, the Recording Academy’s Chief Industry, Government, and Member Relations Officer Daryl P. Friedman appeared on SiriusXM’s P.O.T.U.S. Press Pool with Julie Mason. On the program, Friedman discussed the impact of coronavirus on creators, including the cancellation of big and small concerts, the financial impact on artists’ bottom line, and the potential solutions Congress could enact that would add some financial relief for creators.

The Recording Academy and its affiliated charitable foundation MusiCares continue to raise funds to benefit creators in need. Leading music streaming and tech companies Amazon Music, Facebook, SiriusXM and Pandora, Spotify, TIDAL, and YouTube Music have announced that they are contributing to the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund to support music industry workers in need.

If you are a creator facing financial hardship due to this global pandemic, please visit MusiCares’ COVID-19 Relief Fund page here.

If you would like to support the relief fund, you can donate here.

Learn More About Issues & Policies Important To Music Creators

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U.S. Capitol

 

Photo: SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

 
News

Bipartisan Package Brings New COVID Relief And More

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In the waning days of the 116th Congress, a bipartisan package includes new COVID relief and more
Advocacy
Dec 21, 2020 - 3:19 pm

After months of shifting negotiations and perpetuating stalemates, Congress reached a deal to provide the American public with additional COVID-19 relief. Congressional leadership, comprised of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), announced an agreement on Sunday, December 20 to attach the relief to an end-of-year government spending bill to be voted on Monday, December 21 and signed into law by the president. 

Recording Academy Chair & Interim President/CEO Harvey Mason jr. praised Congressional leadership on the new stimulus package, a welcomed sign for many struggling music creators. "The Recording Academy is pleased that Congress heard the call of thousands of music creators and included protections for the music community in the omnibus bill. In addition to extended and improved unemployment benefits and small business loans for freelance creators, the package includes several bills which the Recording Academy, its members, and the larger music community advocated for. From the Save Our Stages Act, which provides a lifeline to performance venues and promoters, to the CASE Act, which creates an avenue for smaller creators to defend their copyrighted works, Congress has ensured that both music creators and those who act behind the scenes to bring music to life are given the support they need during this difficult time." 

The package includes $900 billion in COVID-19 relief that will fund many critical provisions to assist struggling creators to survive the enduring financial hardship inflicted by the pandemic: 

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance

Under the agreement, Congress will extend the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program to April 2021, ensuring that self-employed music professionals, gig workers, and freelancers can continue to receive unemployment benefits as long as they are out-of-work. For many music makers with mixed income (a combination of W2/1099 wages), Congress has authorized a new $100 per week bonus payment to offset some of the eligibility complications encountered earlier this year. 

In the agreement, Congress also re-imagined the popular Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) program and funded it at $300 in additional unemployment benefits per week. The bonus payments will go to all individuals receiving unemployment assistance until mid-March. Finally, the stimulus legislation also includes direct payments of $600 per worker earning less than $75k annually ($150k for a couple).

Small Business Loans

The relief package appropriates $284 billion for both first and second rounds of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. The program, which proved to be wildly popular under the CARES Act, is intended to tether workers to their places of employment, allowing for a quick recovery once regular business operations can resume at pre-pandemic levels. Updated guidance on the PPP program and application is expected to be unveiled soon.  

Additionally, the Emergency Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program will be replenished with $20 billion in new funding, a tool which self-employed workers and small business owners can leverage to pay for expenses. The bill attempts to address the uneven impact of COVID-19 felt by minority-owned businesses and underserved communities by appropriating $3B for Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs).

Venue Relief

Styled after the Save Our Stages (SOS) Act, the legislation includes $15 billion to support live event venues and other cultural institutions, including museums. This new program, to be administered by the Small Business Administration, will help independent venues survive the enduring impact of the pandemic and ensure live music can return to the stage safely in the future. While the guidance for this program has yet to be published, the Recording Academy will continue to communicate with its members on how to best leverage these programs to assist with immediate needs in the music ecosystem. 

End-Of-Year Spending Deal: CASE Act And More

The comprehensive package also have provisions for creators beyond the COVID relief sections.  

As part of the omnibus spending deal to fund the government for Fiscal Year 2021, Congressional leaders agreed to include the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement (CASE) Act. The bipartisan and bicameral legislation, which already passed the House of Representatives and out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, will improve the currently unfair copyright enforcement system by establishing a small claims court for copyright cases through a three-"judge" tribunal within the U.S. Copyright Office. A big win for creators, the CASE Act levels the playing field by driving down the high cost of federal litigation. The bill also increases funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and includes a new provision to treat commercial, large-scale illicit streaming as a felony—helping crack down on rampant online copyright infringement operations like stream-ripping websites. 

Before this funding deal was solidified, many crucial programs in the CARES Act were on track to sunset at the conclusion of the calendar year. Aware of the burden this would cause on creators, the Recording Academy launched a campaign to call on Congress to pass additional financial relief for creators and small businesses before the holiday recess. The activation has already resulted in thousands of letters and hundreds of calls being sent to elected officials.

This new compromised solution is a step in the right direction for creators, but Congress' work on COVID-19 is not done. Once the legislative body returns in January to start the 117th Congress, focus must be shifted to establishing long-term solutions to ensure a full recovery once the lockdowns are lifted. These long-term solutions include the passage of the RESTART and HITS Acts, implementation of critical DMCA reform, and establishment of a performance right for sound recordings broadcast by terrestrial (AM/FM) radio.

Take Action: Urge Congress To Pass COVID Relief For Music