Overview
- KISS co-founder Gene Simmons testified before the Senate Judiciary Intellectual Property Subcommittee, calling unpaid AM/FM airplay an injustice and urging passage of the American Music Fairness Act.
- SoundExchange CEO Michael Huppe said radio corporations earned about $250 billion in advertising over 16 years while performers received nothing, noting other platforms pay artists and radio made nearly $14 billion last year.
- Broadcaster Henry Hinton argued a new performance royalty would jeopardize jobs and local services, saying thousands of free local stations cannot absorb additional costs.
- An alliance of 18 conservative policy groups urged Republican leaders to support AMFA, casting the proposal as a property-rights issue in a letter sent ahead of the hearing.
- The bill would create a broadcast performance right and have the Copyright Royalty Board set rates, with qualifying stations under $1.5 million in revenue paying roughly $500 a year, and it still requires further committee and floor action.