In an open letter to be published in Billboard, the artists,
who include 40 Grammy winners, contend that Congress has more important things
to do than debate the Internet Radio Fairness Act — legislation they contend
will cut their pay.
“Congress has many pressing issues to consider, but this is
not one of them,” write the artists. “Let’s work this out as partners and
continue to bring fans the great musical experience they rightly expect.”
The musicians’ coalition contends that Congress has done
enough to boost Pandora over the past decade by giving the Internet radio
company a break on royalties, and now it’s time for the artists to share the
wealth.
“Pandora is now enjoying phenomenal success as a Wall Street
company,” the musicians write. “We celebrate that. At the same time, the music
community is just now beginning to gain its footing in this new digital world.
Pandora’s principal asset is the music. Why is the company now asking Congress
once again to step in and gut the royalties that thousands of musicians rely
upon?”
While the letter is signed by the likes of Don Henley, Vince
Gill and CeeLo Green, their signatures were marshaled by MusicFIRST, an
artists’ rights organization, and SoundExchange, a performance rights
organization that collects royalties for Internet-delivered music.
“These artists have joined together to tell Pandora it’s
time to go back to the drawing board. We all want Internet radio to succeed,
but it won’t if it tries to do so on the backs of hardworking musicians and
singers,” MusicFIRST Executive Director Ted Kalo said in a statement.
The letter, featuring the iconic image of a rock ’n’ roll
guitar, makes clear that the legislation pushed by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) in
the Senate and Reps. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and Jared Polis (D-Colo.) in the
House is going to be in for a tough fight.
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