|
Performance Rights Legislation
Ever since sound recordings were made part of copyright law in 1972, AFM has been trying to get a royalty for performers when music is played on over-the-air AM/FM radio. With the introduction today of the Performance Rights Act yesterday, our time has finally come to obtain a performance right in sound recordings. This will not be an easy fight. The broadcasters are very powerful. That's why I urge you to send the attached letter to your representatives in Congress so that they will know that a musician who is their constituent will be affected by this legislation. Please feel free to modify and personalize the letter. To learn more about the performance rights campaign, go to www.musicfirstcoalition.org. Thank you very much for your help.
| Sample Letter for Campaign |
Subject: Performance Rights Act
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
I am writing to ask you to co-sponsor the Performance Rights Act, H.R. 4789, S. 2500, a bill to grant a long-overdue performance right to performers when their music is played on the radio. I am a member of the American Federation of Musicians, a nationwide organization of over 90,000 professional musicians who will benefit from this legislation.
Performers create the music which terrestrial AM/FM radio needs to lure its advertisers. But AM/FM radio refuses to pay a cent to those performers. It's time to correct this inequity.
Over-the-air AM/FM radio is still the dominant music platform in spite of the introduction of satellite, internet, and cable radio in recent years. But over-the-air radio gets an unfair advantage over its competitors because the other music platforms pay a royalty to performers. It's time to level the playing field.
Performers lose out twice. They are not paid when their music is played on U.S. radio and they are not paid when their music is played overseas. Royalties are collected abroad for U.S. performers (because almost every other country in the world has a performance right), but these royalties are not given to U.S. performers because we do not have a reciprocal law.
I hope you will co-sponsor the Performance Rights Act, which will bring our law up to par with all the other developed nations. It is finally time to recognize and appropriately compensate those who make our country's music - and broadcasting - industry the most vibrant in the world. Thank you.
Sincerely,
|
