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Participate In Today's National Voter Registration Day With #MusicVotes

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Verify your voter registration status, register to vote, or request an absentee ballot on the Recording Academy's new #MusicVotes page
Advocacy
Sep 22, 2020 - 10:00 am

The Recording Academy has a long tradition of encouraging music creators to exercise their civic duties. Throughout the Summer of Advocacy, Academy members created an impact by meeting with lawmakers, sending thousands of letters to Capitol Hill, and even testifying before Congressional committees. As music professionals, we know the power of one voice. But in this election year, we must make sure every voice is heard at the ballot box. 

 
That’s why the Recording Academy is partnering with HeadCount to make it simple, easy and fast for music creators to register to vote. Participate in today's National Voter Registration Day (Tuesday, Sept. 22) by verifying your voter registration status, registering to vote, or requesting an absentee ballot, all of which can be accomplished on the Recording Academy's new #MusicVotes page.

The #MusicVotes page has all the information you need to know to ensure your vote is received in the 2020 federal election—including important state by state deadlines and resources to vote from home. Be sure to share the #MusicVotes campaign with other music professionals and make sure we're all #VoteReady in time for Nov. 3.

Every day your music makes a difference. On Nov. 3, make sure your vote does too. 

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

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Photo: Mark Makela/Getty Images

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Are You Ready To Vote? Design Your Voting Plan With #MusicVotes Campaign

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With venues serving as poll locations and artists activating their fan bases, the music community is banding together to make sure every voice is heard at the ballot box and show that #MusicVotes
Nate Hertweck
Advocacy
Oct 29, 2020 - 10:57 am

Tuesday, Nov. 3 is Election Day, but the time to act is now. Thankfully, the Recording Academy has partnered with HeadCount to make it simple, easy and fast for music creators to register to vote. The #MusicVotes campaign provides the valuable resources you need to exercise their right to vote in the 2020 election and make sure every voice is heard at the ballot box.

The Academy's #MusicVotes page can help you design your voting plan by verifying your registration status and finding your polling place. And with states offering several early and mail-in voting options, there are several paths to make your vote counts and gets counted.

From legendary musician and songwriter Nils Lofgren to alt-pop superstar and GRAMMY winner Billie Eilish, music makers from across the industry have rallied in support of voting, posting pictures and messages to encourage their fans and fellow music professionals to make a plan to vote.

In addition to some of music's biggest artists using their social platforms to promote voting, music venues around the country closed by the pandemic are offering their facilities as polling locations. AEG, who has also teamed up with HeadCount, will be using certain venues as polling places, such as Los Angeles' STAPLES Center, which will serve as a general election vote center.

With election day quickly approaching, take a look at a few other artists, from Big & Rich's John Rich to Laura Marano, who have joined the all-important cause to spread the simple word: vote.

"You know that democracy is essential, and every single vote adds up to make a difference," the members of Gangstagrass say in a special message on Twitter. "All my brothers, all my sisters out here, make sure you know where your polling places are at, make sure you're registered to vote, make sure you get your ballot's in on time. Your vote is extraordinarily important."

Be sure to make your plan to vote before Nov. 3. For more information on how and where to vote, visit the #MusicVotes page, and use the hashtag #MusicVotes on your voting pictures to spread the word.

Read More: Participate In National Voter Registration Day With #MusicVotes

Statue of Brazilian musician and composer Antonio Carlos "Tom" Jobim in 2020

Statue of Brazilian musician and composer Antonio Carlos "Tom" Jobim in 2020

 

Photo: Bruna Prado/Getty Images

 
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A Year In Review: Helping The Music Ecosystem Survive The Pandemic

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From securing COVID relief for struggling music creators to getting out the vote with #MusicVotes, let's take a moment to reflect on a year of advocacy wins
Matthew Bango
Advocacy
Dec 29, 2020 - 10:55 am

This unprecedented year has been extremely painful for the music ecosystem, but it is not without hope. Before we look forward to the return of live music, sold-out tours, and in-studio recording sessions poised to take place in 2021, let's take a moment to reflect on the highlights of what the advocacy of Recording Academy members and music lovers helped to accomplish this past year:

January: 
Bringing Music Makers And Policymakers Together At The GRAMMYs
Leading artists, songwriters and producers met with members of Congress as part of GRAMMY Week. The discussion gave legislators firsthand knowledge about the challenges facing music creators.

February:
Academy Fights For NEA Funding
The Academy quickly jumped to action after the President released his annual budget in February that zeroed out funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), calling the proposal a "non-starter" and submitting testimony to Congressional appropriators in support of an increase in funding, which Congress ultimately approved. 

March:
Passage Of The CARES Act Includes Historic Help For Music Creators
Academy members advocated Congress to include pro-music provisions in a COVID-19 relief package, and as a result, the CARES Act provided unemployment assistance for the first time to self-employed gig workers, made self-employed workers eligible for the new Paycheck Protection Program, and provided $75M in supplemental funds for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

April:
Academy Establishes CARES Act Helpline
To help Academy members access the benefits available under the CARES Act, the Recording Academy established the CARES Act Hotline to answer questions and conducted an informational webinar. 

May:
Harvey Mason, jr. Testifies Before Senate: Creators Must Be Paid Fairly
The Recording Academy's Chair & Interim President/CEO was a witness before the Senate Subcommittee on Intellectual Property. As part of a series of hearings examining the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), Mason advocated for a performance right for sound recordings on AM/FM radio. 

June:
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) Includes National Treatment Provisions
Academy members asked Congress to protect creators in the USMCA during GRAMMYs on the Hill 2019, and the new USMCA trade agreement officially established a "national treatment" with Canada and Mexico that enables U.S. performers to receive radio performance royalties for airplay in those countries.

July:
Yolanda Adams Testifies In The Senate: Fair Use Must Be Fair To Creators
Four-time GRAMMY winning singer/songwriter and Recording Academy Trustee Yolanda Adams represented the Academy at a formal DMCA hearing before the Senate's Intellectual Property Subcommittee.

House Introduces HITS Act
With support from the Academy and its members, Reps. Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.) and Ron Estes (R-Kan.) introduced the bipartisan Help Independent Tracks Succeed (HITS) Act, allowing independent artists to expense the cost of new studio recordings within the same year of production. 

August:
Summer Of Advocacy Concludes With District Advocate Day
Culminating with the first all-virtual District Advocate Day, thousands of Academy members met with hundreds of Congressional offices to stress the importance of pro-music relief. 

September:
#MusicVotes Helps Get Out The Vote
Alongside our partners at HeadCount, the Recording Academy's #MusicVotes campaign made it simple, easy, and fast for music creators to vote, apply for an absentee ballot, and find their polling place.

October:
Recording Academy Supports MLC Implementation
Established by the MMA, the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) will collect mechanical royalties from digital streaming services. To help songwriters understand the new MLC, the Academy hosted a webinar with MLC CEO Kris Ahrend and songwriter Tayla Parx. 

November:
HITS Act Introduced In The Senate
After Academy members lobbied for the HITS Act during District Advocate day and throughout the fall, Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) introduced a companion bill in the Senate, demonstrating its growing support.

December:
Academy Advocacy Helps Ensure Additional COVID-19 Relief For Creators
After more than nine months of advocacy by thousands of RA members, Congress passes a second comprehensive COVID relief bill, extending and enhancing benefits to freelance music creators.  The omnibus bill also contained key copyright improvements including the CASE Act (small claims copyright court).

Without the tireless advocacy of Recording Academy members, none of these accomplishments would have been possible, but we know we still have much more work ahead of us in the New Year to ensure that the music ecosystem sees a full recovery. Here's to a safe and wonderful holiday season!

Recording Academy And Music Community Coalitions Continue Advocacy For COVID-19 Relief

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Look Back At The Recording Academy's Summer Of Advocacy

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With letter writing campaigns, a voter registration drive, participation in Congressional hearings and the flagship activation, District Advocate day, music makers made history in summer 2020
Nate Hertweck
Advocacy
Aug 26, 2020 - 4:57 pm

Now more than ever, advocating for creators' rights is an essential part of preserving and improving the music industry. In a year wrought with devastating shutdowns, cancellations and closures due to the pandemic, music makers rely all the more on trickling income streams, essential stimulus legislation, and fair pay for their work.

Springing into action, the Recording Academy launched the Summer of Advocacy to amplify the voices of the music community leading up to its flagship activation, the seventh annual District Advocate day. With months of action and activity in the near rearview and a wildly successful culminating event, it's worth marking the Summer of Advocacy as a huge success and taking a moment to pause and look back before resuming our efforts, stronger than ever. After all, by recognizing the success of their storytelling and collaboration during hundreds of meetings with lawmakers, music creators can celebrate progress with the confidence to keep pressing.

And the summer has been filled with much more than meetings, including the launch of numerous letter writing campaigns, a voter registration drive, and participation in Congressional hearings. Let's take a close look at the deep impact of 2020's Summer of Advocacy…

Contacting Congress Campaigns

Wielding the proverbial power of the pen all summer long, the Academy has asked our members to advocate for numerous issues that would benefit music creators. In all, members sent nearly 6,500 letters in support of six separate calls to action including urging the passage of the Save Our Stages Act, ensuring equitable treatment of COVID-19 relief, and advocating for support of the HITS Act, a new bipartisan solution that would allow an individual to fully expense the cost of new studio recordings on their taxes up to $150,000. Hearing from those affected most by these policies is the best way to inform those who ultimately vote for their passage.

Voter Registration

Speaking of voting, the Academy encouraged its members to take part in the political process by registering to vote. With so many important issues at stake, the music community and its supporters must ensure their voices are heard. If you have yet to register for November’s election, please visit Vote.org.

Congressional Hearings

On the ground and on the stand, Academy members spoke loud and clear this summer. On July 28, four-time GRAMMY winning singer/songwriter and Recording Academy Trustee Yolanda Adams shared her first-hand experience and perspective on the topic of fair use, as the Senate Committee on the Judiciary’s Subcommittee on Intellectual Property held another Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) hearing.

Earlier in the summer, Recording Academy Chair & Interim CEO Harvey Mason jr. testified before the same subcommittee regarding the scope of music rights in sound recordings, the dire need for the U.S. to catch up with other free countries by passing the AM-FM Act, and the importance of supporting music creators in the next phase of COVID-19 relief stimulus funding.

District Advocate

The Summer of Advocacy reached a pinnacle on August 12, as the Recording Academy mobilized nearly 2,000 members across the country to meet with over 250 Congressional offices, making District Advocate day the . Since advocates were unable to attend in person, they were invited to participate in virtual meetings, and did they ever. Participants included GRAMMY winners Adams, Brandy Clark, José Feliciano, John Legend, Ziggy Marley and PJ Morton and GRAMMY nominees Victoria Monét and Offset.

The Summer of Advocacy mobilized members in 49 States, DC, and Puerto Rico. None of this would have been possible without each and every single member who gave their time and passion to the cause. As the quest to build a better system continues into fall 2020 and beyond, the Recording Academy thanks all those who made the first-ever Summer of Advocacy a nationwide success. Remember, advocacy works.

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

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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