Gene Simmons: Radio Must Pay For Play

In an opinion piece published in the Los Angeles Times Saturday, KISS co-founder Gene Simmons calls for Congress to pass the American Music Fairness Act, a bipartisan bill that would require AM/FM radio stations to pay performers royalties when their music is played on air.

Simmons argues that this longstanding loophole in U.S. copyright law allows radio corporations to earn billions—nearly $14 billion in ad revenue last year—while paying nothing to the artists whose recordings drive listenership. Songwriters and copyright holders receive compensation, but performers—from legends like Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra to current stars like Taylor Swift and Bruno Mars—get zero for AM/FM broadcasts.

'If you work hard,
you should get paid'

He dismisses the radio industry's claim of "free promotion," noting that music discovery now occurs mainly through streaming, social media, and other platforms, while terrestrial radio often recycles older hits. 

Simmons highlights that performers already earn royalties from digital services like YouTube, TikTok, and SiriusXM, making AM/FM the sole major outlier.

The piece, timed to the recent 68th Grammy Awards weekend, frames the issue as unfair and un-American: even Russia and China compensate performers for radio plays, while the U.S. aligns with nations like Cuba, Iran, and North Korea in exempting broadcasters.

Simmons references his December 9, 2025, testimony before a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, where he urged support for the bill, co-sponsored by Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.). He notes broad backing, including from the Recording Academy, past presidential administrations, and reportedly President Trump, emphasizing bipartisan agreement that hard work deserves fair pay.

As an 8-year-old immigrant who arrived in America without speaking English, Simmons ties the fight to the American Dream, warning that today's emerging artists face steeper hurdles—with declining album sales revenue—than those of past decades, and that the current system risks "pulling the ladder up" behind successful performers.

Congress can close the loophole by enacting the American Music Fairness Act, Simmons concludes, ensuring equitable treatment across all music platforms.