American Music Fairness Act

AMFA (HR 791) would establish a performance right for sound recordings played on AM/FM radio stations so that the artists, performers, vocalists, producers, and other music makers involved in the creation of a record can receive fair compensation. The U.S. is the only democratic nation in the world that doesn’t compensate artists when their music is played on AM/FM radio. In fact, the U.S. is in the dubious company of North Korea and Iran in denying AM/FM performance royalties. This injustice has denied hundreds of thousands of music artists - from top billboard stars to up-and-coming artists to backup singers and musicians - the income they deserve. To make matters worse, this legal loophole precludes American artists from receiving royalty payments from other countries who do pay artists for radio play since US terrestrial radio does not pay their foreign artists. Recent estimates calculate more than $200 million in lost royalties. Corporate radio giants such as iHeartRadio are spending tens of millions of dollars and have hired an army of lobbyists to kill legislation so they can continue to profit off the backs of hardworking artists without paying them for their work. Congress can fix this problem by passing the American Music Fairness Act which would require AM/FM radio to end this injustice and pay artists for their work.