SoundExchange, Major Artists Launch ‘Project 72’ To Fight For Digital Royalties On Legacy Recordings
SoundExchange today joined with 70+ major recording artists to launch Project72, a campaign to ensure digital radio payments for musicians and rights holders who recorded prior to 1972. Project72 is designed to support today’s introduction of The RESPECT Act by U.S. Representatives George Holding (R-NC) and John Conyers (D-MI). The bill would require equal payments for pre-1972 recordings.
Pandora, SiriusXM and other major net radio services do not pay royalties to musicians who recorded music before February 15, 1972 because of a loophole in U.S. copyright law. SoundExchange estimates that this practice deprived legacy artists and record labels of more than $60 million in digital royalties last year alone.
Project72 kicks off with an open letter, signed by more than 70 artists, calling on digital radio to treat all sound recordings equally and to “pay for all the music they play." Artists urging these services to “do right by legacy artists” include many directly affected by the practice: The Allman Brothers Band, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Roseanne Cash, Melissa Etheridge, Al Green, B.B. King, The Moody Blues, Cyndi Lauper and Martha Reeves.
“This music is our legacy. Under the current system, it feels like they are taking it away from us,” said Richie Furay, founding member of both Buffalo Springfield and Poco.
Learn more and contract your Congressman at Project-72.org.
Full List Of The Artists Endorsing Project72
The Allman Brothers Band
Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, of Steely Dan
The Beatles
Gerry Beckley, of America
Dickey Betts
Bilal
Blondfire
Blue Oyster Cult
Jonatha Brooke
Dewey Bunnell, of America
Richard Carpenter
Rosanne Cash
Gene Chandler
Cy Coleman (Estate)
Rita Coolidge
Chick Corea
Randy Crawford
Steve Cropper
The Crusaders
Raheem DeVaughn
Vikter Duplaix
Melissa Etheridge
Duke Fakir, of the Four Tops
Mark Farner, of Grand Funk Railroad
Jimmy Fox, of The James Gang
Richie Furay, of Buffalo Springfield and POCO
Johnny Gill
Genevive Goings
Al Green
Donnie Hathaway (Estate)
Lalah Hathaway
Jimi Hendrix (Estate)
Engelbert Humperdinck
Danny Hutton, of Three Dog Night
Jimmy Jam
Tommy James
Al Jardine, of The Beach Boys
The Jazz Crusaders
Gene Kelly (Estate)
B.B. King
Talib Kweli
Cyndi Lauper
John Lennon (Estate)
Ted Leo
Terry Lewis
John Lodge, of The Moody Blues
Kenny Loggins
Aimee Mann
Roger McGuinn, of The Byrds
Sergio Mendes
Chris Montez
Sam Moore
My Morning Jacket
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Ann-Margret Olsson
Yoko Ono
Tony Orlando
Jeffrey Osborne
Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Otis Redding (Estate)
Martha Reeves
Johnny Rivers
Claudette Robinson, of The Miracles
Royal Tailor
Joe Sample
David Sanborn
Miike Snow
Cat Stevens
Third Day
Suzanne Vega
Cory Wells, of Three Dog Night
Whodini
Otis Williams, of The Temptations
Brian Wilson, of The Beach Boys
Mary Wilson, of The Supremes
Bobby Womack
Maimouna Youseff
Bobby Z
