musicFIRST taps former Congressman Joe Crowley to be new Chairman
Most recently famous recently for losing to political rockstar Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, former Congressman Joe Crowley has been chosen by US music advocacy group musicFIRST to serve as the coalition’s new Chairman.
Guest post by Emmanuel Legrand of the Legrand Network
US music advocacy group musicFIRST has picked former Congressman Joe Crowley (NY-14) to serve as the coalition’s Chairman and “lead efforts to rectify a decades-long injustice that denies artists payment when their music is played on traditional radio.”
Congressman Crowley’s brief is to “oversee Capitol Hill efforts to enact legislation to finally get artists paid when their music is played on FM/AM radio stations.” After losing a primary to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2018, Crowley joined law firm Squire Patton Boggs two years ago.
Sources in Washington, DC suggest that by picking such a high profile former policy-maker to lead the organisation signals that for the members of the coalition, the passing of a legislation introducing performance rights for sound recordings is one of the top lobbying issues for the current legislature. The US is one of the few countries in the world that does not recognised performance rights for sound recordings.
Achieve fair compensation for creators
Said Crowley: “We need to change the rules that are rigged in favor of a few big, billion-dollar media companies and ensure that hardworking creators get paid when their work is played on the radio. I am eager to build upon the work and advocacy efforts of musicFIRST as we continue to take serious strides toward achieving fair compensation for all music creators.”
While in Congress, Crowley sponsored the Allocations For Music Producers (AMP) Act, which was signed into law in 2019, and co-sponsored the Fair Pay Fair Play Act of 2015. He also was a member of the Recording Arts and Sciences Congressional Caucus.
A tireless supporter of artists’ rights
“Congressman Crowley is a longtime advocate for music creators,” said Daryl P. Friedman, Chief Advocacy Officer at the Recording Academy. “His tireless support for artists and understanding of crucial parity issues uniquely position him in this ongoing fight for fairness.”
Members of the musicFIRST coalition include the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), the American Federation of Musicians, The Recording Academy, The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), SAG-AFTRA and SoundExchange, among others.
