Ledisi Young

Ledisi

Photo: Ron T. Young Photography

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Profiles In Advocacy: Ledisi On The Importance Of Using Your Voice To Make Change

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The Recording Academy has asked our members to reflect on their path of becoming an advocate for music and discuss the importance of using your voice to create change
Advocacy
Feb 17, 2021 - 12:52 pm

The Recording Academy has asked our members to reflect on their path of becoming an advocate for music and discuss the importance of using your voice to create change. The inaugural "Profile in Advocacy" is from thirteen-time GRAMMY-nominated artist and Los Angeles Chapter Governor, Ledisi.

I have always been uncomfortable using this part of my voice. But I feel it is important for many to hear the human side to the numbers and legal/political jargon most creators like myself get bombarded with when it comes to the word Advocacy. 

There was a time I viewed this organization as a prestigious shiny golden statue and thought that my little voice from New Orleans East/East Oakland could never be heard amongst the many voices inside such an elitist tent. That all changed when I agreed to participate in a GRAMMY U panel for the San Francisco Chapter.

I used my little voice, while my stomach was in knots, and spoke about my experiences as a local artist at the time. I looked around and saw everyone was listening. I sat next to major artists who also spoke about their experiences and we were all under one umbrella inspiring future creators. That day lead me to become a member of the Recording Academy. That was 17 years ago and I saw then that there was more to this organization than only what I watched on television.

Today, as a Governor for the Los Angeles Chapter, I can proudly say I am an Advocate for the Arts, and it started here with the Recording Academy. I have found so much joy in helping my beloved music community. My first GRAMMYs On The Hill I walked alongside my peers lobbying in the halls of Congress using my little voice, that shocks sometimes, and still, people listened. I left there inspired understanding that the heartbeat of the Recording Academy is the artists.  It's creators like me who advocate for artist rights and their legacy, for fair representation, diversity and the passion to preserve the history of all music creators.

It wasn't just a guy in a suit speaking for creators. It was us, creators speaking up for ourselves. The most important work for any creator is not merely to create, but to also be of service beyond one's self, and our collective future depends on that. 

I was asked in a recent interview, "Why do you call yourself an advocate for the Arts? Isn't art already radical?" My reply was that "nothing in music is free."  Everything has a cost, and as long as we continue to have outdated laws that don't reflect the times and it affects creators, we will never be "free." Artists are barely surviving through this pandemic on the very art they have given their lives to.  It's diminishing for some and many have had to find other ways to supplement their income. And after all this what do we have to go back to? This is the time we are forced to live off of streaming and music sales.  But publishing alone isn't enough for most of us. So like many others, I advocate for music creators for this very reason. 

There's still much work to be done and we need more artists to become active to help educate others and to speak out on behalf of our music community. We need them to use their voices and to get involved publicly to help make true change a possibility.  Every creative should be an advocate for music. We have so much power as creators, and when we use our voice, even when it shakes… people will listen. 

Celebrating Mary Wilson: A Strong Advocate For Music Creators

John Legend & Hakeem Jeffries

L-R: Hakeem Jeffries, John Legend

Photo: Recording Academy

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Celebrating GRAMMY Nominees Who Advocated For Creators' Rights

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Ahead of Sunday’s 63rd GRAMMY Awards, we want to acknowledge those nominees who have helped advance the agenda of music creators during this trying year
Matthew Bango
Advocacy
Mar 10, 2021 - 4:01 pm

Daryl Friedman, Chief Advocacy Officer of the Recording Academy, spoke with Billboard about the important role Academy members played in pushing Congress to include creator-friendly provisions in the recent COVID-19 stimulus package. "Much to the chagrin of our in-house lobbyists, I always say our best lobbyists are our members because they really can tell the story in a compelling way," noted Friedman.

This year, the Academy has repeatedly called on our members to ask their elected officials to support many provisions that would yield positive results for the struggling music ecosystem, including passage of the HITS Act and support for solutions to mitigate the pandemics’ enduring impact. Ahead of Sunday’s 63rd GRAMMY Awards, we want to acknowledge those nominees who answered the call and helped advance the agenda of music creators during this trying year:

Brandi Carlile

A 5-time GRAMMY Award winner, Brandi Carlile is no stranger to using her voice to create change. Carlile spoke with a crowd of music advocates during last year’s GRAMMY Week in support of the GRAMMY Fund for Music Creators. This year, Carlile is nominated for Best Country Song and Best Song Written For Visual Media.

Brandi Carlile | 2021 | Advocacy

Brandi Carlile speaks to a crowd of advocates during GRAMMY Week in 2020.

Brandy Clark

Brandy Clark is nominated for Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Album. Clark has a long track record as a music advocate, including representing the Nashville Chapter as chair of their Advocacy Committee and serving as a District Advocate leader for last year’s meeting with Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.).

Dave Haywood

While balancing a busy tour and recording schedule as a member of the band Lady A, Dave Haywood, a seven-time GRAMMY winner, has found time to call on legislators to support and enact meaningful reform to better the entire music ecosystem. Along with the rest of Lady A, Haywood was honored at the GRAMMYs On The Hill Awards in 2014 and is a regular participant in District Advocate. He currently serves as the Vice President of the Academy’s Nashville Chapter Board. This year, Lady A’s Ocean is nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.

Rodney Jerkins

Rodney Jerkins, a legendary producer and two-time GRAMMY winner, has become a mainstay at the Academy’s advocacy initiatives. Most recently, Jerkins participated in the GRAMMY Week Congressional Briefing in 2020. Jerkins showcased his work with emerging artist Jac Ross and shared firsthand testimony of the difficulties faced when launching a career in the creative workforce. Jerkins’ Come Together is nominated for Best Gospel Performance/Song.

Rodney Jerkins

A group of lawmakers and music makers at the Recording Academy’s Congressional briefing on January 25, 2020, in Beverly Hills, CA (L to R) Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), Jac Ross, Cyndi Lauper, Rep. Norma Torres (D-Calif.), Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.), Rodney Jerkins, Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.), and Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.) 

Emily Lazar 

An accomplished mastering engineer, Emily Lazar has three nominations in the Album Of The Year category for her work on Coldplay’s Everyday Life, Jacob Collier’s Djesse Vol.3, and HAIM’s Women In Music Pt. III. Between recording sessions, Lazar serves as a member of the Academy’s National Advocacy Committee, which is comprised of prominent music creators and determines the Academy’s legislative priorities.

Ledisi

As a member of the Los Angeles Chapter Board, Ledisi has long supported the Academy’s legislative priorities. In a recent “Profile in Advocacy,” Ledisi discussed the importance of using your voice to create meaningful change, noting that, “The most important work for any creator is not merely to create, but to also be of service beyond one's self, and our collective future depends on that.” This year, Ledisi’s Anything For You is nominated for Best Traditional R&B Performance. 

John Legend

An eleven-time GRAMMY winner, John Legend has used his talents to bring joy to the world, and his voice to advocate for change. During District Advocate day in 2020, Legend spoke with Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) about how to best help the music ecosystem overcome the pandemic’s impact. Legend also serves as a Recording Academy National Trustee and as an Honorary Chair of the Black Music Collective, which officially launched last year. Legend is nominated for Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Album.

John Legend & Hakeem Jeffries

John Legend meets with Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries during the Academy’s virtual District Advocate day in 2020. (L to R): Chairman Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and John Legend (Photo by Recording Academy)

Julia Michaels

Julia Michaels joined the Recording Academy’s Advocacy team for a holiday reception commemorating the opening of the Academy’s new Washington, D.C. office in 2018. Joined by a bipartisan and bicameral group of elected officials, Michaels shared insight into the importance of supporting music priorities and celebrated the recent passage of the Music Modernization Act. Michaels’ and JP Saxe’s If The World Was Ending is nominated for Song Of The Year. 

G ADV Opening

Policymakers and music creators mark the opening of the Advocacy team’s new office with a ribbon cutting ceremony in 2018 (L to R) Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), National Trustee Tracy Hamlin, Julia Michaels, Daryl Friedman, Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), and Rep. Ron Estes (R-Kan.)

PJ Morton

From attending GRAMMYs On The Hill to Zoom-ing with legislators, PJ Morton is a familiar face on Capitol Hill and in the Louisiana State Capitol due to his long history of championing music policies. When describing his virtual District Advocate day meeting, Morton stressed to Billboard the importance of reaching out to policymakers to raise awareness of a legislative solution. “It’s a slow process to change. But I think once you see it work, once you see your voice can matter, you can be a little more invested in it.” A two-time GRAMMY winner, Morton’s Gospel According To PJ is nominated for Best Gospel Album. 

Bobby Rush

From District Advocate to GRAMMYs on the Hill, GRAMMY winner Bobby Rush has joined music advocates over the years on their mission to directly lobby Congress on the importance of fair compensation for creators. Rush’s Rawer Than Raw is nominated for Best Traditional Blues Album. 

We thank all of the nominees who helped enact change during this incredibly difficult year! Without your overwhelming support, the Academy would not have been able to accomplish the tremendous and historic legislative victories in our fight against the COVID-19 pandemic  

Be sure to join us for the 63rd GRAMMY Awards on Sunday, March 15, 2021, at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT.

Read More: Billboard: How The Recording Academy And Its Allies Scored Big Wins In COVID Relief Package

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Photo: Fotosipsak/Getty Images

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Congress: It's Time To Side With Music Creators Over Big Radio

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Empowering creators to have control over their own intellectual property is a fundamental and constitutionally protected right in America
Morgan Enos
Advocacy
Apr 29, 2021 - 2:11 pm

The Constitution of the United States guarantees creators the right to control their own intellectual property. However, AM/FM radio seems to be the final content landscape where these constitutional rights are rendered null and void on a practical scale.

Massive radio corporations earn billions in advertising revenue from the work of countless performers and recording artists, who don't earn a single cent for the usage of their work. For 100 years, American artists have earned nothing for music played on radio across the U.S., and if corporate radio has its way in Washington, they’ll keep the royalty rate at $0.00. 

During each new session of Congress, these billion-dollar corporations head to Capitol Hill to seek support for the so-called “Local Radio Freedom Act” (LRFA). The seemingly harmless-sounding resolution appears to be an avenue to promote broadcast localism, but it is in fact something very different. In actuality, the non-binding resolution, which is pushed by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), hurts creators by placing Congress on the other side of the fulcrum. LRFA puts members of Congress on the record against paying the artists and performers in their district. Congressional support of this contentious and obsolete resolution forces members of Congress to take a stand against fairness and intellectual property rights.

LRFA will be introduced in Congress any day now, with the radio industry already on Capitol Hill asking Congress for support for its anti-artist agenda. This corporate radio loophole makes broadcast radio the only industry in America that can use another's intellectual property without permission or compensation.

There is hope on the horizon. Many lawmakers across the political spectrum, along with leaders in the music and arts community, support common-sense reform that ensure creators are always compensated for their own work, while ensuring true community broadcasters can continue to thrive. In short, they are on the side of the creators themselves, who often lack leverage in this debate due to the NAB’s incredibly deceptive messaging campaign.

Fixing this loophole would also benefit music creators in the United States when their music is broadcast internationally. American artists collectively are due over $200 million annually in overseas royalties from radio play in foreign markets, but can't collect their royalties because the U.S. does not reciprocate with our own performance right. If Congress listened to artists back home, instead of Big Radio, that money would be unlocked and repatriated back stateside.

Music creators deserve to be fairly compensated and it's up to the 117th Congress to side with music creators instead of Big Radio. This misleading radio resolution will only delay true reform—and already beleaguered creators will continue to suffer because of it.

Take Action: Tell Congress to Support Music, Not Big Radio

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Bobby Rush at GOTH

Bobby Rush

Photo: Paul Morigi/WireImages for The Recording Academy

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Profiles In Advocacy: Bobby Rush On The Importance Of Uniting In Support Of Creators' Rights

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The Recording Academy has asked our members to reflect on their path of becoming an advocate for music and discuss the importance of using your voice to create change
Advocacy
Apr 21, 2021 - 10:28 am

The Recording Academy has asked our members to reflect on their path of becoming an advocate for music and discuss the importance of using your voice to create change. This "Profile in Advocacy" is from Bobby Rush, who recently took home the 2021 GRAMMY for Best Traditional Blues Album. 

I'm so grateful and honored by the opportunity to write this article about my experiences as an advocate. I'm thankful to be able to speak my opinion about where we have gone and are going, and what is happening now regarding the progress it will bring to the future of music. Let me start out by saying that I'm very appreciative to the Recording Academy for bestowing upon me the six GRAMMY nominations and two GRAMMY Awards for my records throughout my career. It’s an incredibly high honor. I'm mainly involved in this advocacy because I saw Black men not represented or included in the music industry throughout my career, and that I have a presence that can make a difference by being myself so that other Black people can see me and feel encouraged to get involved themselves. I believe that my involvement in various organizations and aspects of the music industry have encouraged Black artists to do the same over the years. I hope that I am able to continue to have that impact on not only Black artists, but all artists. 

I recognize that I am able to have a voice in the process of advocacy because of the success that I've had with the GRAMMYs and through my long career. Now that I have achieved this success, I have been able to be a part of real change on a national level by meeting with members of Congress and highlighting laws that need to be updated to better compensate, and protect, songwriters, artists, and musicians. I have also been able to work with leaders in local and state government, such as mayors and governors, to effect change in my communities.

In 2017, I was asked to participate in GRAMMYs On The Hill in Washington D.C. Of the many policy priorities addressed during the Advocacy Day, our main focus was to stress the importance of passing reforms, like what would become the Music Modernization Act, with members of Congress. Signed in 2018, the legislation immediately impacted my colleagues and I by closing the “pre-1972” loophole that allowed digital services to forgo compensating legacy artists, and securing a system for accounting and issuing payments of mechanical royalties from streaming services which is now set up through the MLC, the Mechanical Licensing Collective. I was blown away by the experience of going to Capitol Hill to meet with our few scheduled meetings, but also by personally being brought outside the House floor and seeing dozens of my friends and fans that are members of Congress. This ranged from Congressman Bobby Rush out of Chicago, to Congressman Stephen Cohen from Memphis, to Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, to the great late Congressman John Lewis. Throughout my career, I have become friends with many politicians and performed for those such as Rep. Bennie Thompson, President Bill Clinton and Senator Hillary Clinton, as well as the African American Mayors Association, and the Congressional Black Caucus. However, the experience at GRAMMYs On The Hill gave me a bird's eye view of exactly how legislation is supported and potentially turned into law.

For those of you who don't know me, I was born in the 1930s, in a little town called Carquit just outside of Homer, Louisiana. Throughout my life, I have lived in Louisiana, Arkansas, Chicago, and Mississippi. Even though I didn't live in Memphis or St. Louis, I have been very involved in those communities too. I started performing for the first time in the 1940s, and I eventually made my way to Chicago in the early 1950s. My first record was recorded in 1964, and, arguably, my biggest hit “Chicken Heads” was recorded in 1971. I’ve had the opportunity to release over 400 recordings in my career for a variety of labels, most of which I was the main songwriter for. The reason I mention this is because I’ve had many experiences, both good and bad, that have taken money out of my pocket at that time and for the rest of my career. 

I have learned a lot of lessons, and I have gotten to a point of obtaining a good lawyer and manager to help protect me. I'm grateful to have my manager, Jeff DeLia, by my side who has also been very involved with the Academy's advocacy work, including District Advocate Day. Jeff has been able to speak to members of Congress in his area both in-person and on Zoom, including Congressman Adam Schiff, and recently wrote a letter directly to Senator Dianne Feinstein in support of the HITS Act, which was recently reintroduced.

It's true that we have come a long way since the 1960s and1970s, but we still have a ways to go. As much as the world is changing and has changed throughout my career, it's vital that the laws continue to be updated to better protect and serve the artists, songwriters, producers, and musicians, not just line the pockets of the big corporations. As a man, and as a Black man, I not only didn't have the protection that I was deserved but also I was slighted in many ways. To have an organization and my peers in the industry join together to fight for these rights and generate new legislation by lobbying for it, is something I not only never dreamt of having for myself as a Black man but never dreamt of being a part of personally.

To people with my level of experience in this career as well as newcomers such as young artists rising in the industry, I encourage you all to get involved with your local Recording Academy chapter. Get involved in your local community, and especially, if called upon, get involved in the local, regional, or national advocacy efforts of the Recording Academy to continue to speak for yourself and your colleagues. And, most importantly, get involved for those who have less of a voice in these laws. You won't regret it. – Bobby Rush, the bluesman

Read More: Profiles In Advocacy: Ledisi On The Importance Of Using Your Voice To Make Change

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The CARES Act: A Retrospective One Year Later

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After intense advocacy by Recording Academy members, Congress intervened to bolster a cratering economy by passing the bipartisan and bicameral CARES Act, an achievement to celebrate a year after its passage
Matthew Bango
Advocacy
Apr 15, 2021 - 9:03 am

On March 27, 2020, after significant input and backing by the Recording Academy and other organizations, Congress intervened to bolster a cratering economy by passing the bipartisan and bicameral Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. A $2 trillion stimulus package, the CARES Act was designed to temporarily stabilize the economy and safeguard ties between workers and their employers, including those in the music industry. Now more than one year into the pandemic, let’s look back and celebrate the CARES Act on the first anniversary of its passage, which has proved to be a pivotal lifeline for many music creators.

The CARES Act established innovative relief programs, extended unemployment insurance eligibility to music creators historically excluded from assistance, and appropriated funds to directly support the arts community. With input from the Recording Academy, Congress implemented the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to provide relief for self-employed workers and small businesses, passed an unprecedented and historic expansion of unemployment benefits, known as Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), for gig workers, freelancers, and other self-employed music professionals, and appropriated $75 million in supplemental funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. These programs, and more, gave direct influx of cash to music creators and small businesses at the onset of the pandemic.

Amongst the initial rush of implementation of the CARES Act, many music creators questioned how to best navigate this new relief programs. Recognizing the need for greater assistance within the music ecosystem, the Recording Academy hosted a webinar on how to best navigate the relief landscape and established the “CARES Act Hotline” to answer individual questions. These resources directly assisted hundreds of music creators to accurately apply for a PPP loan and navigate complex unemployment insurance scenarios. 

Future advocacy work then focused on fixing technical problems as they were identified. For example, many “mixed earners,” those with both traditional and freelance income, found themselves to be ineligible for certain unemployment programs due to oversights included in the CARES Act and the antiquated state unemployment systems. Additionally, many small businesses had difficulty accessing PPP money before the program exhausted funding. 

The Recording Academy identified solutions to many of these problems, and shifted gears to ensure relief truly worked for the music ecosystem. Many of these proposed technical corrections were passed as standalone bills, included in subsequent relief packages, or addressed administratively, including extending the PPP application window, establishing a supplemental fund for mixed earners, and improving the PPP formula for self-employed workers, among others.

And as chronicled by Billboard, the Recording Academy and its members didn’t stop with short-term fixes but continued to advocate for long-term solutions to ensure a full recovery for music creators. As part of a year-end spending deal, the Recording Academy and its allies in the music ecosystem secured funding for several creator-friendly legislative priorities, including expanding pandemic unemployment assistance programs for eligible self-employed workers, establishing a $15 billion supplemental fund to assist live music venues, and replenishing SBA loan programs for independent contractors and small businesses, among others. The Academy and its members also managed to secure necessary guidance changes and funding for the SBA relief programs, and an additional extension of unemployment programs for gig workers, self-employed individuals, and mixed earners as part of the American Rescue Plan, which was signed into law in March 2021.

This past year has proven to be physically, emotionally, and mentally difficult for all Americans, and music creators have been particularly impacted by the pandemic. Unable to access traditional income streams and distant from their community, many creators have been left wondering where their next paycheck will originate from or when their next opportunity to reunite with their beloved bandmates will occur. While this year has tested the entire music ecosystem, our ability to stand united behind a shared cause has resulted in tremendous legislative accomplishments.

While our fight against the COVID-19 pandemic started with the CARES Act, we must continue to pressure Congress in support of long-term solutions geared at recovery, including securing the passage of the HITS Act and ensuring the swift implementation of the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant. As always, the Recording Academy and its members will continue to champion legislative solutions to establish a more equitable and creator-friendly music ecosystem.  

Take Action: Ask Congress to Pass the HITS Act

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