Boyz II Men Lead 300+ Major Artists in Capitol Hill Push for American Music Fairness Act
Boyz II Men visited Capitol Hill to advocate for the American Music Fairness Act, delivering a letter signed by over 300 prominent recording artists to key lawmakers.
Boyz II Men performing at rally
The legendary R&B group met with influential lawmakers including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), and Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA). The group aims to secure fair compensation for artists when their music is played on AM/FM radio.
Notable signatories include Aerosmith, Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, P!nk, Stevie Nicks, and many other industry leaders across various genres.
The American Music Fairness Act would:
- Require U.S. broadcasters to pay artists for AM/FM radio plays
- Protect small broadcasters by capping fees at $500 annually for unlimited music
- Align the U.S. with other democratic nations that compensate artists for radio plays
- Recover approximately $300 million in foreign royalties currently withheld
Under current law, the United States remains one of the few nations, alongside North Korea, Cuba, and Iran, that doesn't require radio stations to pay performance royalties. Despite generating billions in advertising revenue, radio stations currently pay no royalties to performing artists.
Recent polling shows 73% of Americans believe artists should be paid when their songs are played on radio, with 6-to-1 support for legislation addressing this issue.
The bill has received bipartisan support in both chambers, introduced by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) in the Senate, and Representatives Darrell Issa (R-CA), Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Mark Green (R-TN), Tom McClintock (R-CA), and Ted Lieu (D-CA) in the House.
The initiative is supported by various broadcasting organizations, including the Alliance for Community Media, Common Frequency, Media Alliance, the National Federation of Community Broadcasters (NFCB), Prometheus Radio Project, and REC Networks.
[Full list of 300+ artist signatures included in original letter follows...]
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