Daryl Friedman is a Recording Academy/GRAMMY.com contributor.
“Today, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) claimed victory for a non-binding resolution that in reality is another nail in radio's coffin. The Local Radio Freedom Act (LRFA), otherwise known as the Loss of Radio’s Future Act, shows that the NAB would rather fight with artists than fight for its survival. It’s no secret that radio struggles to remain relevant…
Kids these days. I was talking to one of these electronic dance music songwriters last week and he was telling me about the GRAMMY he won for the Daft Punk album. Oh, did I mention this cutting-edge hipster is 73 years old and named Paul Williams? The master songwriter and president of ASCAP was in town for the introduction of…
When you think of the great music cities of America, what comes to mind? Los Angeles? Nashville? New York City? Brookside, Rhode Island?If the last one was a surprise, it shouldn’t be. Nor should hearing about the great music being made in Shullsburg, Wisconsin; Park City, Utah; or Farmington Hills, Michigan. Because in all of those towns, people are making…
I watched the ABC show about Nashville last week. No, not that one.On Nov. 3 the network aired the Music City valentine "For The Love Of Music: The Story of Nashville," an hour-long "documentary" that helps explain why so many music makers and fans fall in love with this town. It featured many of Nashville's great music creators/advocates such as…
What a difference two weeks make. In that time span, GRAMMYs on the Hill demonstrated the impact that music creators can have when they unite together to make a difference. Monday, April 13, 2015: Music creator champions Congressman Jerrold Nadler of New York, the Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet, and Congressman…
These days, advocacy work is nearly as central to The Recording Academy’s membership as the creation and promotion of music. Changes in the way music is consumed, combined with an outdated patchwork of legislation governing the industry, have resulted in a landscape where many creators are overlooked and underpaid. Broadcasters, tech companies and other large corporations are pocketing the profits…
The cloakroom of the House of Representatives is generally considered one of the hallowed, exclusive spaces in Congress. It's a special room, just off the floor of the House chamber, where Members of Congress huddle for private conversations, plan legislative strategy, or simply take short breaks during a busy day. So imagine the surprise of many Members of Congress when…
In the ongoing push to achieve fair pay for all music creators, the discussion tends to fall mainly on performers and songwriters. But no longer.Producers and engineers have an indispensable role in the creation of recorded music and therefore a stake in the discussion of fair pay for music creators. Traditionally, how and how much these professionals are compensated in…
One of the things I love about working for this organization is that we don’t work for "suits." Our board leadership is composed of music creators: the performers, songwriters and studio professionals we represent.For instance, Maria Schneider is best known as an innovative composer and bandleader who has won GRAMMYs for her jazz and classical recordings. Most days you will…
Imagine a world in which lone songwriters are regulated by the federal government, while major radio conglomerates and publicly traded tech companies are treated as a protected class. Welcome to the world of the American songwriter. Songwriters affiliated with performance rights organizations (PROs) ASCAP and BMI, including thousands of professional songwriter members of The Recording Academy, are paid performance royalties…
On April 22 the Supreme Court heard arguments in ABC vs. Aereo. Traditional broadcasters (represented by the National Association of Broadcasters in D.C.) are steadfast in their reasoning: No company or individual should be able to profit from content that doesn't belong to them.This is the main message of their argument against Aereo, the upstart Internet company that uses small…
"Aidan was one of the most popular baby names in 2002." This seemingly meaningless piece of trivia was told to me by the "Aidan" who inspired it. Actor John Corbett ("Sex And The City," My Big Fat Greek Wedding) came to Washington, D.C., to participate in a GRAMMYs on the Hill event welcoming the new Congress. But Corbett's reason for…
Make sure you have your seat, because the MusicBus is gassed up and about to hit the road. The "music omnibus" legislation (MusicBus) first proposed by The Recording Academy's President/CEO Neil Portnow at GRAMMYs on the Hill a mere two months ago is already gaining momentum among legislators and other proponents of the music community. The growing support was evident…
It might not be a Magical Mystery Tour, but a "bus" is waiting to take you away. And you will want a ticket to ride.In fact, you might even want to drive.Sometimes the only way for disparate folks to get to a single destination at the same time is to have them travel together. This way, no one gets lost…
Last week, members of Congress gathered at GRAMMYs on the Hill and joined Wynonna Judd on stage for a little bipartisan harmony. On that night, joining Wynonna, Martina McBride, Keith Urban, John Popper and other well-known artists, were more than 100 other members of the Recording Academy family. Songwriters, performers, producers and engineers. Less famous, but just as accomplished. They came…
"Innovation." Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines the word as "the introduction of something new." In our fast-paced society, the word is often associated with new technology.Last week, the House Judiciary Committee held another hearing in its ongoing review of current U.S. copyright law. The theme of the Nov. 19 session of the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet was "The…
Fair play, fair pay. It’s a simple concept. And we’re finally seeing it applied in a comprehensive bill legislating pay parity for music creators. Today representatives of The Recording Academy are standing by in New York City as Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), a longtime supporter of fair compensation for music creators and the ranking Democratic member of the House Judiciary…
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act's notice and takedown process needs a takedown of its own. At least until it can undergo an upgrade. Section 512 of the DMCA is supposed to provide a process by which creators can work with Internet service providers to control illegal use of their work online. But today it is out of balance, placing the…
On the 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards, President/CEO of The Recording Academy Neil Portnow—along with GRAMMY winners Jennifer Hudson and Ryan Tedder—announced a new initiative: the GRAMMY Creators Alliance, comprising songwriters, performers, and studio professionals to serve as a powerful voice educating policymakers and advancing pro-creator legislation. For more information about the GRAMMY Creators Alliance, click here. Watch this clip to…
"Although we love the trade associations that visit us on a daily basis, getting around them sometimes and getting to other kinds of creators … would really be instructional. So I would also probably recommend that if we were to have roundtables, we get out of Washington a little bit. Go somewhere where people make a living from writing songs…
