300+ Artists Join The Pay To Play Push

Over 300 prominent recording artists, including major names like Aerosmith, Barbra Streisand, Céline Dion, Gloria Estefan, James Taylor, Jelly Roll, Lil Jon, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Mariah Carey, are urging lawmakers to pass legislation requiring terrestrial radio stations to pay royalties for playing their music. In a letter to congressional leaders, obtained by NBC News, these artists claim they are losing out on billions of dollars in royalties they believe they deserve.

The letter states, “For decades, corporate broadcasters have exploited an outdated legal loophole, profiting from advertising revenue generated by playing free music without limits. AM/FM radio stations play nearly a billion songs annually, and large radio corporations earn billions in ad revenue while refusing to pay artists a single penny for their work.”

The artists are advocating for the swift passage of the American Music Fairness Act, which would establish a royalty payment system for performers. Currently, most terrestrial radio stations pay royalties to performing rights organizations, which distribute these payments to record companies and songwriters. However, these royalties do not reach the performers, even though some performers are also songwriters.

Radio station organizations argue that both broadcasters and musicians benefit from the exposure provided by radio airplay. They contend that the royalties paid through licensing agreements are already expensive, and adding further costs could financially devastate the struggling radio industry. The National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters stated, “Additional royalties could cripple many local radio stations and negatively impact the millions of listeners who depend on local radio for news, emergency alerts, weather updates, and entertainment.”

The American Music Fairness Act includes a provision allowing small and independently owned stations to pay as little as $500 annually for unlimited music playback rights. However, the artists argue that in the age of streaming and the internet, free radio airplay disproportionately benefits broadcasters’ profits rather than the artists. Singer/songwriter Carly Simon remarked, “When I was starting out, radio was a promotional tool for aspiring artists. That’s no longer true. In the digital era, fewer Americans discover new music on the radio. Instead, AM/FM stations make billions in ad revenue without compensating the artists whose songs they play. This must stop.”