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

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

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The Small Business Administration (SBA) has received almost 12,000 applications from the SVOG, but still has enough money for more applicants
Morgan Enos
Advocacy
May 13, 2021 - 12:02 pm

Late last year, a bipartisan package brought the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) into existence, which benefited the beleaguered music community. Now, shuttered venues have the opportunity to collect on this provision—but time’s running out to do so.

Established by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, and amended by the American Rescue Plan Act, the program includes over $16 billion in grants to shuttered venues, to be administered by the Small Business Association (SBA)’s Office of Disaster Assistance. The Recording Academy, its members and its music community allies jointly advocated for this measure since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown orders.

A perfect storm of technical issues may have delayed the initial rollout of the SVOG, but on Monday, April 26, its portal officially opened—and is still accepting applications. The Small Business Administration (SBA) has announced that it has received 11,600 SVOG applications, but still has enough funding for more applicants.

Granted, the SBA has not yet released funds to approved entities, but the first round of recipients is expected to be announced within the month. In order to hold the SBA to account regarding its equitable fund disbursement and adherence to Congressional intent, the Recording Academy will continue to monitor the rollout as it continues into the summer of 2021.

For the triumph that the SVOG is, the grant is not a panacea for embattled venues. The benefit of this money is expected to be short-term, not long-term; even after receiving financial aid, chances are they’ll continue to struggle until nearly all concertgoers feel safe enough to pack into a club or theater again. 

To engender comfort with the COVID-19 vaccines and encourage all Americans—music lover or not—to get their shots, the Academy recently partnered with the Health & Human Services (HHS) department to encourage the American public to get vaccinated.

As a founding partner of the Biden-Harris Administration’s “We Can Do This: Live” initiative, the Recording Academy is bridging the information gap between accredited experts—doctors, scientists and other health professionals—and the public. This way, all involved hope to assuage anxieties about inoculation and encouraging Americans to make the right decision for themselves and their families, which will put the music industry safely back on path with concerts, festivals, and tours.

Right now, the Recording Academy and HHS are working together on exciting creative programming and events as part of their partnership. Follow the Recording Academy on Twitter for updates and event opportunities. Until then, if what the SVOG offers applies to you, don’t hesitate to apply for funds while you still can, and before you know it music will be back in front of packed, and vaccinated, crowds.

Read More: Updated: Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Program Opens for Applicants

MLC Webinar
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Mechanical Licensing Collective & The Recording Academy Partner For Informative Webinar Series

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The 12-part program will brief the creative membership of each Recording Academy chapter and its new Songwriters & Composers Wing on the MLC’s new service
Morgan Enos
Advocacy
May 6, 2021 - 2:34 pm

The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) and the Recording Academy have partnered on a 12-part webinar series aimed at the creative membership from the Recording Academy’s chapters and its new Songwriters & Composers Wing. The program serves to educate these sectors of the Academy on the importance of registering for the free new service, which aims to remunerate creators with the royalty payments they deserve.

In the series, each Recording Academy chapter (Memphis, Nashville, Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia, New York, Pacific Northwest, Texas, Los Angeles, Florida, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C.) will have the opportunity to meet with a representative from the newly operational MLC for an informative session including questions and answers from the local creative workforce, along with offer feedback.

The series kicked off on Tuesday, May 4, with a conversation between Kris Ahrend, CEO of The MLC, Jon Hornyak, Senior Executive Director of the Academy’s Memphis Chapter, and Vicki Loveland, singer, songwriter, and producer, and Vice President of the Memphis Chapter. The next edition will run on May 17 at 2 p.m. CT, with the Nashville Chapter. The MLC, which began operations in January, recently collected and made its inaugural royalty payment to songwriters, and will be paying out digital mechanical royalties every month.

To more fully speak to the needs of creators, a songwriter from each Academy Chapter will be involved in each session to provide webinar participants with the unique perspective of the types of creators The MLC serves and take additional questions.

“We are thrilled to work with the Academy on this webinar series, which builds on our ongoing efforts to reach as many potential MLC Members as possible, provide them with the information they need to join our organization and help position themselves to receive the digital audio mechanical royalties they have earned and deserve,” Ahrend said in a statement.

“Academy members were so active in passage of the Music Modernization Act, they should now benefit from The MLC that the Act created,” Daryl P. Friedman, Chief Advocacy Officer of the Recording Academy, declared in his own statement. We’re pleased to partner with The MLC to reach our membership of creators far and wide and ultimately get royalties into their hands.”

The series is sponsored by the Recording Academy’s Songwriters & Composers Wing; the Recording Academy has long been involved in the process of establishing and launching The Mechanical Licensing Collective. Back in November 2020, hit songwriter and GRAMMY nominee Tayla Parx, Recording Academy Chair and Interim President/CEO Harvey Mason jr., Ahrend, and Friedman engaged in an informative conversation on the MLC.

The Academy has also regularly engaged with the U.S. Copyright Office to provide advice and input on the implementation of The MLC. In 2019, for example, the Academy filed comments to provide helpful criteria to better ensure The MLC database accurately works for all music makers—including producers—urging the Copyright Office to, "Clarify that a producer is someone who was part of the creative process that created a sound recording," when distributing and implementing its new regulations.

Also in 2019, two key Recording Academy representatives, Trustee Ivan Barias and the Advocacy office's Todd Dupler, appeared at the Copyright Office's Unclaimed Royalties Study Kickoff Symposium to speak up on behalf of music creators. The Academy has continued to participate in the ongoing study, with Dupler appearing at a March 2021 Copyright Office roundtable.

Academy Chapter members will receive an invitation with a registration link in advance of the date of their respective webinar. See below for the full series schedule. 

Memphis Chapter
May 4, 11:30 a.m. CT

Nashville Chapter
May 17, 2 p.m. CT

Chicago Chapter
May 25, 11:30 a.m. CT

San Francisco Chapter
May 25, 5:30 p.m. PT

Philadelphia Chapter
May 26, 4 p.m. ET

Washington, D.C. Chapter
May 27, TIME TBD

New York Chapter
June 10, 3:30 p.m. ET

Pacific Northwest Chapter
June 15, 3 p.m. PT

Texas Chapter
June 16, 3:30 p.m. CT

Los Angeles Chapter
June 16, TIME TBD

Florida Chapter
June 23, 12:30 p.m. ET

Atlanta Chapter
July 29, 2 p.m. ET

Read More: Mechanical Licensing Collective Distributes First Royalty Payments & You Can Collect Your Share Today

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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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Mechanical Licensing Collective Distributes First Royalty Payments & You Can Collect Your Share Today

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The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) collected $40 million in payments to registered songwriters and composers. Register today to claim or match any mechanical royalties owed to you
Morgan Enos
Advocacy
Apr 23, 2021 - 8:25 am

The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) has completed its first-ever monthly distribution of mechanical royalties, which is a result of the new blanket license established by the Music Modernization Act of 2018 (MMA). The ball got rolling in February 2021 when digital service providers (DSPs) began reporting their streaming and download usage numbers for the previous month to the Mechanical Licensing Collective.

The organization’s first calculation of royalties, which totaled more than $53 million, includes royalties distributed to MLC creator members and rights holders, funds that have been matched to the appropriate musical work but remained unclaimed, and unmatched money. After accounting for $13 million in matched royalties covered by preexisting voluntary licensing agreements, the MLC collected $40 million in direct payments on behalf of registered songwriters and composers in January 2021, and disbursed $24 million to members. Of the $16.4 million in remaining collected funds, $11 million are unmatched funds, and $4.9 million are matched but unclaimed. The remaining $500,000 are on legal hold.

To ensure that any unclaimed and unmatched mechanical royalties end up where they belong, the Recording Academy encourages all self-administered or self-published songwriters to join The MLC as a member and register their songs, which can be done here. And all songwriters should sign up to use The MLC portal and make sure the data related to their work is accurate.

The MLC has also provided resources for songwriters and publishers to use to help ensure that it has correct data: the Data Quality Initiative (DQI) and the Music Data Organization Form. These tools are intended to help creators “organize and prepare their musical works’ data.” Through the DQI, the MLC provides reports to participants that highlight discrepancies in order to deliver more accurate and quality data in the future.

This is all in an effort to help the owners of musical works “Play Your Part” to receive their funds fairly and expediently. The portal is available to a wide range of creators—from publishers to administrators to foreign collective management organizations, or CMOs.

The Recording Academy has long been engaged in the process of establishing and launching The MLC since the passage of the MMA, and recently hosted an educational webinar with Recording Academy Chair and Interim President/CEO Harvey Mason jr., MLC CEO Kris Ahrend and songwriter Tayla Parx.

More information on when to expect future royalty distributions—and how they may be adjusted in the future—can be found here. Also worth reading is the FAQ page on the MLC website, which breaks down the details of the royalty distribution process, including information on royalty rates and terms.

Read More: Mechanical Licensing Collective Webinar: 5 Things To Know About The MLC

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