President-elect Joe Biden (L) and Harvey Mason jr. (R), Chair and Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy

President-elect Joe Biden (L) and Harvey Mason jr. (R), Chair and Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy

 

Photo: Adam Schultz

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Welcome President Biden And Vice President Harris: Let's Get To Work!

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The Recording Academy congratulates President Biden and Vice President Harris, and looks forward to collaborating with the new administration to aid music-makers
Matthew Bango
Advocacy
Jan 20, 2021 - 7:04 am

With today's historic inauguration of President Biden and Vice President Harris, the Recording Academy looks forward to working collaboratively with their Administration on important priorities that impact America's music creators. As the only organization that represents the interests of all music creators—songwriters, performers, and studio professionals—the Recording Academy stands ready to assist in building back better the American creative economy and workforce.

President Biden has a well-documented record of supporting the creative workforce and understanding the necessity of a healthy and vibrant domestic music ecosystem. In the Senate, President Biden served as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, advocated for fair market value for digitally transmitted music by serving as an original co-sponsor of the Perform Act of 2007, and drafted a report examining how to best combat intellectual property theft both at home and abroad. And as Vice President, President Biden continued his fight on behalf of creators by fighting for strong IP protections in trade deals and combatting overseas piracy, work that was honored during GRAMMYs on the Hill in 2011. 

Sen. Harris (D-CA)

Sen. Harris (D-CA) speaks during a hearing on "Protecting and Promoting Music Creation for the 21st Century" on May 15, 2018 in Washington, DC | Photo: Leigh Vogel/WireImage

Vice President Harris has also proven to be an invaluable ally to the creative workforce. As Attorney General of California, Vice President Harris created the eCrime Unit to enforce anti-piracy laws, and successfully secured a Department of Justice grant to increase state law enforcement agencies' ability to combat intellectual property theft. In the Senate, Vice President Harris was one of the original sponsors of the Senate's Allocation for Music Producers (AMP) Act, and signed on as an original co-sponsor of the Music Modernization Act. Most recently, she served as a member of the Senate Judiciary Intellectual Property Subcommittee.

President Biden and Vice President Harris have already signaled their continued support of the music ecosystem when rolling out their COVID-19 stimulus plan, which is on track to be one of the new administration's first legislative accomplishment. Titled the "American Rescue Plan," the proposed package provides music creators with essential financial relief, including extending unemployment insurance through September, issuing direct payments, providing unemployment protections to gig workers, earmarking funds for underserved communities, and replenishing small business grant and loan programs. 

The coming years are a crucial time in American history that presents an opportunity to rebuild and revitalize the American economy and outdated systems. We are excited to work with the Biden Administration on extending the President's legacy on pro-music issues, resulting in a better future for the American music maker and all Americans.  

And make sure to join us for our "New Congress Webinar" at 1 p.m. PT/4 p.m. ET on Monday, Feb. 1, to learn more about the Academy's upcoming legislative priorities and how you can best work as an advocate.

Bipartisan Package Brings New COVID Relief And More

Jazz Festival Moers

John Scofield

Photo: Bernd Thissen/picture alliance via Getty Images

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National Endowment For The Arts Announces Guidelines For Grant Awards Under American Rescue Plan

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Additional good news has arrived regarding NEA funding: President Biden and Congress are moving toward "record level" funding for the arts for the pending fiscal year
Morgan Enos
Advocacy
Jun 30, 2021 - 3:32 pm

The National Endowment for the Arts recently announced its guidelines for grant awards under the American Rescue Plan (ARP), which President Biden signed into law in March and includes $135 million in emergency relief funding for the NEA. 

While venues are reopening nationwide in response to mass vaccinations and artists are finally seeing work, this increased cash flow to the NEA will be a boon to creative industries that the COVID-19 pandemic existentially threatened for more than a year.

Earlier this year, the NEA distributed 40% of that $135 million ($52 million) to state and regional arts agencies.  The remaining 60% will now be available through two competitive grant opportunities: one for local arts agencies, and one for non-profit organizations.

The NEA is currently accepting applications with an emphasis on specific organizations. These include those that serve populations whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by ethnicity, economics, geography, or disability; organizations with small and medium-sized budgets; organizations from rural to urban communities; and organizations that may be applying for federal support through the Arts Endowment for the first time.

According to the NEA website, that support is limited to any or all of the following:

salary support, full or partial, for one or more staff positions; fees/stipends for artists and/or contractual personnel; facilities costs such as mortgage principal, rent, and utilities; costs associated with health and safety supplies; and marketing and promotion costs.

For the Recording Academy, expanding opportunities to organizations that have not previously received NEA funds was a priority. Grants to organizations are intended to support day-to-day business expenses/operating costs and will be awarded in grant amounts of $50,000, $100,000 or $150,000. (Those applications are due in August.)

The NEA's guidelines mark the latest positive development in federal aid for creative industries. On June 28, 2021, the U.S. House Appropriations Interior Subcommittee released its FY 2022 spending bill. This subcommittee is responsible for setting the funding levels for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and other cultural agencies. The subcommittee matched the Biden Administration's budget request of $201 million for the NEA. This would represent an increase of $33.5 million over the current budget for the NEA, the largest increase in the agency's history.

Next, the spending bill will still need to pass the subcommittee, full committee, and the full House. The same process will also take place in the Senate Appropriations Committee. Daryl Friedman, the Recording Academy's Chief Advocacy Officer, has submitted written testimony to both the House and Senate requesting full funding for the NEA.

"The NEA remains an integral part of the cultural bedrock of the United States, working to bring music and the arts to towns and communities across the country," Friedman wrote. "Its mission has never been more important, and as the creative arts look to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency will prove to be a key lynchpin in the resumption of arts throughout America."

The Recording Academy's Advocacy department will continue to keep lawmakers, music workers and listeners abreast of new developments in this quest for equity in creative spheres. For more information, visit the NEA's website at https://www.arts.gov.

Why The American Music Fairness Act Will Give Music Creators What They Deserve

American Music Fairness Act

Reps. Darrell Issa (L) & Ted Deutch (R)

Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

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American Music Fairness Act Builds Support In Washington & With Local Radio

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Since the American Music Fairness Act (AMFA)'s launch in June, it's only gained support from lawmakers and even radio broadcasters—and this progress shows no sign of slowing
Morgan Enos
Advocacy
Jul 8, 2021 - 8:09 am

It's been only a matter of weeks since Representatives Ted Deutch (D-FL) and Darrell Issa (R-CA) introduced the American Music Fairness Act (AMFA), a new bill to ensure that artists, performers, producers, and music creators are fairly compensated when their songs are played on terrestrial radio stations. 

Deutch and Issa are far from alone in this undertaking, though—and the growing list of supporters in the political and broadcasting centers is constantly growing.

In addition to Deutch and Issa, Reps. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), Tom McClintock (R-Calif.), Karen Bass (D-Calif.), Diana Harshbarger (R-Tenn.), and Judy Chu (D-Calif.) have co-sponsored the bill. Notably, Congressman Nadler is the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee—where the bill was referred—and has long been a vocal champion to establish a performance right.

The bill has garnered strong support across the music industry, including from organizations like the American Federation of Musicians, the Future of Music Coalition, the musicFIRST Coalition, RIAA, SAG-AFTRA and SoundExchange. And even the AFL-CIO—the largest federation of unions in America—has endorsed it.

As the AFL-CIO's President Department for Professional Employees, Jennifer Dorning, put it in a statement, "Now is the time for Congress to close a loophole that has prevented union creative professionals from earning fair compensation when their songs are played on terrestrial radio."

Despite the expected and misleading opposition from the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB)—who represent conglomerates like iHeart Radio and Audacy— groups representing truly community-owned broadcasters have also come out to support the AMFA, including the Alliance for Community Media, Common Frequency, the National Federation of Community Broadcasters, Media Alliance, Prometheus Radio Project and REC Networks. The support of community radio undermines one of NAB’s misleading arguments that paying artists would bankrupt local stations.

But, that couldn’t be further from the truth. As the small broadcast organizations noted in their support for the American Music Fairness Act, the bill contains important protections for small and non-profit broadcasters to ensure that local and community-supported radio stations can continue to be diverse and thrive. Because small radio stations deserve to be treated differently than Big Radio groups like iHeart, the AMFA protects radio stations that fall under a $1.5 million in annual revenue and whose parent companies make less than $10 million in annual revenue overall. Under the bill, some stations would pay as little as $10 a year for unlimited music!

And naturally, many artists remain on board in support of securing a performance right. From legacy acts like Dionne Warwick and Sam Moore—who travelled to Washington to advocate for the bill at its introduction—to the vocal Academy members who have reached out to Congress in support, it is clear that artists are fed up with the status quo and are ready to fight for real change.

On top of that, according to the musicFIRST Coalition, a majority of Americans support the proposed changes in the American Music Fairness Act as they believe it's unfair that artists are not paid when their music is played on traditional radio; with Americans believing that Congress should side with artists not radio by a 20 point margin.

Despite the growing support for the American Music Fairness Act, Big Radio and the NAB are not backing down and they remain a formidable roadblock in Washington. If you wish to join this fight in support of artists, you can contact Congress here.

Why The American Music Fairness Act Will Give Music Creators What They Deserve

Covid-19 Vaccine

Photo: Gerardo Vieyra/NurPhoto via Getty Images

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How The Recording Academy & the Dept. of Health And Human Services Teamed Up To Address COVID-19 Vaccines and a Return to Live Music

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In a candid panel spearheaded by the Recording Academy and the Dept. of Health and Human Services, Valeisha Butterfield Jones and Dr. Cameron Webb discussed vaccine acceptance among Black communities and a return to live music
Morgan Enos
Advocacy
Jun 17, 2021 - 12:00 pm

On June 11, the Recording Academy and the Department of Health and Human Services partnered on a We Can Do This LIVE Twitter Spaces discussion on vaccines, safety, and a return to live music. The Recording Academy’s Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer Valeisha Butterfield Jones hosted the event, which also featured White House Senior Policy Advisor for COVID-19 Equity Dr. Cameron Webb, who represented the Biden Administration.

As part of Black Music Month and the White House’s Month of Action in June, this event was geared specifically to Black Americans with a focus on the under-40 demographic. The goal was to host an open forum offering authentic and transparent expertise, personal perspective, and highlight a path forward to resume live music following nearly 18 months of shuttered venues and canceled tours.

The panel focused on the positive side of vaccines and their role in getting “back to normal,” particularly when it comes to live music—vaccines are the best way to defeat the virus and get back to safely attending concerts, gathering with family and friends, indoor dining, weddings, sporting events, and travel. Webb, who treated COVID-19 patients throughout the pandemic, broke down in layman’s terms the science behind the vaccines, how they work, what they do inside your body, and their effectiveness in combatting the virus. 

Webb also acknowledged, without judgment, many Black Americans’ trepidation about getting the shot, especially with still-fresh memories of experimental medical procedures inflicted on these communities throughout American history. (To say nothing of the fact that COVID-19 disproportionately affected people of color.)

“The scars of that are very visible, and there are contemporary injustices in places all over this country,” Webb noted, citing racist atrocities like the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, which withheld lifesaving treatment for Black men. “I want to be very clear: People are right to say, ‘Hey, it hasn’t been fair for Black bodies here in the United States when it comes to health.’ That is a verifiable truth.”

While Webb expressed deep compassion about these concerns, he tried to steer listeners’ perception of the COVID-19 vaccines as being an agent to stop the next Tuskegee Syphilis Study, not bring it on again. “One of the things that’s a way for us to prevent COVID is the vaccines,” he said.

“That’s something that we want to make sure isn’t withheld from us. It’s so important that we have access,” Webb continued. “That’s the legacy of what we’ve learned from Tuskegee, is that we won’t stand by and watch our community have lifesaving interventions withheld from our community the way it happened in Tuskegee. That’s why we’re fighting for folks to have access to vaccines.”

Furthermore, Webb noted the Black representation in the development of the vaccines—not only in the (voluntary) test subjects, but in the pool of researchers who developed them and the members of the Food and Drug Administration who approved them. “If you look at how representative the trials were, more than 10% of the participants were Black,” he said. “In some studies, up to 40% were from communities of color.”

And because of their willingness to serve the cause of science, the vaccines developed by Moderna, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and other companies have caused deaths in communities of color to plummet.

“They are creating a pathway back toward normalcy,” Webb said. “They’re allowing grandparents to survive this pandemic, to see their grandbabies grow up, and that’s what we want to see through this … If communities of color are less vaccinated today, they will see more deaths tomorrow, as this pandemic goes on.”

For the music community, the pathway back toward normalcy depends on vaccine rates and acceptance—the more people who get vaccinated, the faster we can get back to seeing concerts, which are already trickling back. Owner and developer of D.C.’s famed Howard Theatre Roy “Chip” Ellis, also spoke during the We Can Do This LIVE event, in which he enthused that times have been rocky over the past year and change—but they can’t wait to open their doors again.

Many venues, like the Howard, struggled without audiences for the duration of the pandemic, but hope is on the horizon with vaccinated audiences and a resumption of live music. Additionally, billions of dollars in federal support are beginning to trickle out to venues in need as part of the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program—an unprecedented relief program that the Recording Academy helped pass into law at the end of 2020.

With vaccine numbers continue to increase and concert calendars filling up for later this summer and into the fall, Webb and Butterfield Jones wrapped the Twitter Spaces on an optimistic note as they reminisced about the best concert they’ve attended (Jay-Z in Chicago for Webb), and named their personal “bucket lists” for shows they can’t wait to see in a post-COVID future (Usher in Vegas for Butterfield Jones).

Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Update: Don’t Forget To Apply Before Funds Run Out

GRAMMYs

Photo: Kevin Nixon/Future Music Magazine/Future/Getty Images

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How Legislators & Advocates Are Taking A Stand Against Spotify's Payola-Like Practices

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Before the pandemic hit, music creators were already hobbled by the rise of streaming platforms. Now, their "Discovery Mode" is facing scrutiny from the House of Representatives’ Judiciary Committee
Morgan Enos
Advocacy
Jun 10, 2021 - 3:03 pm

Back in late 2020, Spotify announced their "Discovery Mode" feature, in which artists could forfeit part of their royalty payment in exchange for increased visibility on the platform's radio and autoplay algorithms. Understandably, this led to controversy within the music creator community.

Now, the federal government is involved. The House Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over many music-related legislative reforms, recently sent Spotify a letter voicing their concerns on the “Discovery Mode” rollout and requesting additional information to ensure it was not encouraging a "race to the bottom."

"At a time when the global pandemic has devastated incomes for musicians and other performers, without a clear path back to pre-pandemic levels, any plan that could ultimately lead to further cut pay for working artists and ultimately potentially less consumer choice raises significant policy issues," declared Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet Chairman Hank Johnson (D-Ga.).

"Core copyright industries like music play an integral role in the U.S. economy, and the vitality of the industry is undermined when artists’ hard work is undervalued. Such a race to the bottom threatens to weaken the core goal of copyright and intellectual property—incentivizing creativity by offering a fair return on one’s work."

At a time when music makers struggle in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Spotify is exploring avenues that could undermine the financial stability of the creative workforce. "Discovery Mode" is reminiscent of past payola practices and serves as another reminder that the digital service is more worried about lining their shareholders' pockets than protecting those generating its content.

Payola, or the practice of requiring compensation in return for airplay by broadcasters, decreases the diversity of music included in airplay and provides an unfair barrier of entry for smaller artists. While it is not explicitly illegal for digital streaming services, Spotify’s decision to entice struggling creators to further reduce their royalty is a telltale sign of their extractive impact on the music ecosystem.

The Recording Academy, which first spoke out against this anti-creator policy in the fall, has a history of standing with creators against payola-like schemes. In 2007, the Recording Academy penned a letter to then-Federal Communications Chairman (FCC) Chairman Kevin Martin in support of the FCC's pending payola investigations into Big Radio. The Academy urged the FCC to continue oversight to "ensure that future conduct in violation of the payola laws will not occur" and to intervene if any such conduct occurs.

"Without commenting on any of the specific payola investigations, the Recording Academy has long been concerned about the pernicious impact of payola and related conduct on the availability to the public of diverse sources of music and of the opportunities for artists, including those not affiliated with major recording labels, to have their music played by broadcast stations," the letter read in part.

Other groups in the music industry are joining the Academy in siding with creators against payola-like practices. The Union of Musicians and Allied Workers served Spotify an open letter in response to Discovery Mode, while the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) and the Artists Rights Alliance penned op-eds in Billboard and Rolling Stone arguing against this new mode.

With the help of Congress, the Recording Academy is confident that Spotify will see reason, reconsider its payola-like practices and—once and for all—begin to pay artists what they deserve.

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