
Daryl Friedman
Daryl Friedman is a Recording Academy/GRAMMY.com contributor.
Daryl Friedman is a Recording Academy/GRAMMY.com contributor.
The Recording Academy's Daryl Friedman makes a statement on the NAB's non-binding resolution, the Local Radio Freedom Act (LRFA).
One month ago, during GRAMMYs on the Hill, 100 GRAMMY winners, nominees and music professionals from all over the country and all walks of life, came to Washington with one goal: to be advocates for the next generation of music creators. Their meetings with legislators were echoed around the country as thousands more turned to social media and other platforms to advocate Congress. Now, four short weeks later, their work has already begun to pay off.
Last week, members of Congress gathered at GRAMMYs on the Hill and joined Wynonna Judd on stage for a little bipartisan harmony. They came to Washington to sound the alarm – that if we don’t change music licensing laws, the generation that follows them will not be able to sustain a career making the music the world loves and needs.
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act's notice and takedown process needs a takedown of its own. At least until it can undergo an upgrade.
These days, advocacy work is nearly as central to The Recording Academy’s membership as the creation and promotion of music.
It's now well documented that radio touting its "promotional benefit" is a stale argument to avoid paying artist royalties. Internet radio, satellite radio, TV appearances , commercials, and concerts all provide some level of promotion, but still compensate artists.
Ah, Sundays. A chance to unwind, relax and read the Sunday paper with a nice cup of coffee. But last Sunday, when I opened The New York Times Sunday Magazine, I practically did a spit take.
What a difference two weeks make. In that time span, GRAMMYs on the Hill demonstrated the impact that music creators can have when they unite together to make a difference.
Today representatives of The Recording Academy are standing by in New York City as Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), a longtime supporter of fair compensation for music creators and the ranking Democratic member of the House Judiciary Committee, introduces the aptly named Fair Play Fair Pay Act of 2015.
In the ongoing push to achieve fair pay for all music creators, the discussion tends to fall mainly on performers and songwriters. But no longer.
Producers and engineers have an indispensable role in the creation of recorded music and therefore a stake in the discussion of fair pay for music creators.
On the 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards, President/CEO of The Recording Academy Neil Portnow—along with GRAMMY winners Jennifer Hudson and Ryan Tedder—announced a new initiative: the GRAMMY Creators Alliance.
The cloakroom of the House of Representatives is generally considered one of the hallowed, exclusive spaces in Congress. It's a special room, just off the floor of the House chamber, where Members of Congress huddle for private conversations, plan legislative strategy, or simply take short breaks during a busy day. So imagine the surprise of many Members of Congress when they finished casting their votes on the House floor, exited into the cloakroom, and found GRAMMY-nominated artists The Band Perry there waiting for them and visiting with their congressional colleagues.
Read the recent commentary by Daryl P. Friedman, the Academy's Chief Advocacy & Industry Relations Officer, that appeard in Roll Call. Titled "Turning Up The Volume on Music Issues," the piece details the creators' rights issues championed by Academy members during the first-ever GRAMMYs in My District campaign.
Imagine a world in which lone songwriters are regulated by the federal government and major radio conglomerates and publicly traded tech companies are treated as a protected class.
Welcome to the world of the American songwriter.
Make sure you have your seat, because the MusicBus is gassed up and about to hit the road. The "music omnibus" legislation (MusicBus) first proposed by The Recording Academy's President/CEO Neil Portnow at GRAMMYs on the Hill a mere two months ago is already gaining momentum among legislators and other proponents of the music community.