FIRST ON FOX: More than a dozen conservative groups are urging House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to support the American Music Fairness Act ahead of rock legend Gene Simmons’ high-profile testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.
In what would be a major shake-up for the music industry, the American Music Fairness Act would require AM and FM radio stations to pay recording artists and performers when they broadcast their songs, ending a decades-old exemption in U.S. copyright law. The bipartisan bill would align traditional radio with digital and streaming platforms that already pay artists royalties, while offering low, flat fees to protect small local stations.
Ahead of the Senate hearing, Fox News Digital obtained a letter addressed to Republican leadership that was signed by 18 conservative policy groups, urging “strong support” for “long overdue bipartisan legislation that would ensure that hard-working Americans receive fair compensation when their music is broadcast on AM/FM radio.”
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., introduced this version of the bill in January, while Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Alex Padilla, D-Calif., brought forth the legislation in the Senate this year, but radio royalties have been debated in Washington for years. The conservative groups who signed onto the letter argued that the “fundamental principle at stake here is property rights” — an ideal directly in line with conservative ideology.
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“Intellectual property (IP) rights are so fundamental to our society that our Founders specifically empowered Congress to protect them,” the groups wrote. “Twelve of the 13 original colonies had IP clauses in their constitutions, and those protections were the legacy of a history of protecting such rights in England.”
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“The Founders understood what economic experience proves: intellectual property drives innovation, creativity, and wealth to the benefit of society,” the conservatives argued, while invoking President Donald Trump’s own support for “safeguarding of our intellectual property, which fuels economic growth, technological progress, and global competitiveness.”
The signatories argued that as conservatives, they “believe deeply in the principles of property rights, free markets, and the right of all people to benefit from the value generated by their labor,” referencing constitutional protections for intellectual property as foundational American values.
Without AMFA, the conservatives said, “This legal anomaly that allows large radio corporations to exploit the hard work of American recording artists without providing them any compensation for the use of their recordings.”
The letter urged Congress to “end this exploitation now by enacting AMFA.”
It was signed by a broad coalition of conservative organizations, including Frontiers of Freedom; Conservatives for Property Rights; Less Government; Tea Party Patriots Action; the 60 Plus Association; the American Association of Senior Citizens; Let Freedom Ring; the Prosperity for U.S. Foundation; Tradition, Family, Property Inc.; the American Policy Center and the Committee for Justice.
Additional signatories included representatives from the American Business Defense Foundation; Americans for Liberty & Security; Strengthening America for All; the Defending America Foundation; the Freedom & Prosperity Caucus; the Last Best Hope on Earth Institute and the Reagan Alumni Association.
“At the heart of economic conservatism is the belief that individuals have a right to the fruits of their labor,” the conservatives said. “Indeed, we believe it to be their natural God-given right. These hard-working Americans are the small businesses we celebrate because of their determination and grit, often working multiple jobs so they can continue to pursue a music career.”
However, the signatories claimed that “a loophole in the law enables corporate broadcasters to profit from advertising revenue generated by music played on the radio without compensating the artists who bring them listeners,” and urged the United States to join “all developed nations who recognize ‘all developed nations [who] recognize a performance right for radio play.’”
“Even China recognizes a performance right for recording artists,” they said. “The United States generally leads the world in IP protection but lags the rest of the world in this regard. It is long past time that Congress eliminate this vestige of socialism found in the music ecosystem.”
Finally, they argued that passing AMFA would foster a level playing field and free market, support local broadcasters and support American workers and values.
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While more than a dozen conservatives made the case for AMFA ahead of Tuesday’s Senate hearing, the legislation has support from a broad coalition of artists, unions and industry groups, including the Recording Academy, SoundExchange, the American Federation of Musicians, the MusicFirst Coalition and the Recording Industry Association of America.
Meanwhile, the National Association of Broadcasters has spoken out against such legislation, arguing in 2022 that it “will harm local broadcasters and audiences around the country, undermine our ability to serve their communities and ultimately fail artists by leading to less music airplay.”
“For all the success Kiss has enjoyed, I worry about the challenges facing the next generation of recording artists,” Simmons said in an op-ed for The Washington Post ahead of his Senate hearing.
Days before he is set to testify on Capitol Hill, Simmons was honored at the 48th Kennedy Center Honors.
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