Randy Travis and SoundExchange CEO to Testify on Music Fairness Act

SoundExchange CEO and country star Randy Travis are heading to Capitol Hill to push for big changes in music royalties. Find out how their testimony could reshape how artists get paid.

by Stacy Simons Santos from Celebrity Access

On Wednesday, June 26th, country music legend Randy Travis and SoundExchange CEO Michael Huppe will appear before the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet. They’ll testify in a hearing titled “Radio, Music, and Copyrights: 100 Years of Inequity for Recording Artists.” This session will tackle the American Music Fairness Act (HR 791), a bipartisan bill to close a century-old loophole allowing AM/FM radio stations to play songs without compensating the artists.

Travis, a beloved figure in country music who suffered a debilitating stroke in 2013, will advocate for this bill and highlight the significance of protecting music creators, especially in the face of advancing Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. Last month, Travis released “Where That Came From,” his first new song since the stroke, with the help of cutting-edge, artist-approved AI tools.

“Royalties are critical for survival in today’s music industry, and that’s especially true for working-class musicians and performers who are not able to tour,” Travis stated. “The American Music Fairness Act will make a real difference in the lives of working musicians – not just big-name artists, but folks all around the country who play on albums or sing backup vocals on top of a nine-to-five job. I’m looking forward to this hearing and discussing the urgent need for Congress to pass this bill and level the playing field for creators.”

AM/FM radio remains a dominant music delivery platform in the US, reaching nearly 300 million people weekly and playing an estimated 967 million songs annually. However, under current law, artists receive no royalties when their songs are broadcast on AM/FM radio.

Huppe stated, “Randy has faced incredible challenges throughout his career, and his resilience in the face of adversity is a model to all of us. The American Music Fairness Act would end a 100-year era of unfair treatment to the creators of the music that feeds the most popular music delivery platform in our country.”

Introduced by Representatives Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Jerry Nadler (D-NY) in the House and Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) in the Senate, the American Music Fairness Act aims to ensure fair compensation for music creators while supporting small, independent broadcasters. The bill is backed by a broad coalition, including community broadcasters and numerous artists like Gloria Estefan and David Byrne, and enjoys bipartisan support across multiple presidential administrations.

Supporters of AMFA include:

• Broadcasters: Organizations like the Alliance for Community Media and the National Federation of Community Broadcasters.
• Artists: From icons like Dionne Warwick to contemporary stars like Common and Sammy Hagar.
• Public Sentiment: Americans support performance royalties for artists by a 4:1 ratio.

Organizations like musicFIRST are at the forefront of this fight, advocating for fair pay for music creators on all platforms. They aim to dismantle the outdated system that allows AM/FM radio to broadcast songs without compensating the performers, ensuring fair pay in the evolving landscape of digital radio and beyond.