For the Recording Academy's Advocacy family, the fight for music people's rights is year-round — but still, one day is paramount.
Welcome to District Advocate Day, whose 2023 iteration will roll around on Oct. 5. Held annually in the fall, this is the largest grassroots advocacy movement for music and its makers.
Therein, Recording Academy members visit the local district offices of their elected representatives in Congress to discuss issues affecting the livelihoods of songwriters, performers, and studio professionals.
Here are five key issues affecting the music industry that will be addressed at District Advocate Day 2023.
AI: Protecting Creators' Name, Image, Likeness, & Voice
AI, or artificial intelligence, is a front-of-mind issue for the Recording Academy, especially as it pertains to intellectual property. It's even been addressed in the GRAMMYs voting process.
Plus, in June, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer invited the Recording Academy to attend the announcement of his A.I. Framework to craft comprehensive legislation to better govern the use of the new technology across all industries — including arts and intellectual property.
This summer, the House and Senate Judiciary Committees have held hearings and roundtables
exploring the impact of AI on copyright and intellectual property, with a potential goal to craft targeted legislation.
At the same time we embrace the positive potential of AI, we must also be mindful of the risks and ensure that human creativity is always at the center of music.
Creative works shape our identity, values, and worldview. People relate most deeply to works that embody the lived experience, perceptions, and attitudes of others. Art cannot exist independent of human culture.
While existing copyright law already has the ability to protect the work of artists and
songwriters, there's very little protection for artists who see their own name, likeness, and voice used to create, market, promote and distribute AI-generated music. Human creators are the foundation of the creative industries and we must ensure that human creators are paid for their work.
That's why, as Al technology rapidly evolves, the Recording Academy is working with Congress to establish a federal right of publicity that protects a human creator from the unlawful use of their identity — including their voice — to make, market, and distribute Al-generated content.
A bipartisan effort in the Senate is leading the way to bring this important new safeguard into law — and the Academy asks Members of Congress to support a federal right of publicity bill.
Protecting Free Expression
The Restoring Artistic Protection Act protects the First Amendment rights of creators nationwide by limiting the use of an artist's lyrics as evidence in criminal proceedings.
The bill affirms that every artist, no matter the musical genre, should be able to freely express themselves. The bill protects the First Amendment rights of artists nationwide by limiting the use of an artist's lyrics as evidence in federal court proceedings.
While this prosecutorial practice is common in the hip hop genre, this is an issue that impacts creators from all genres and all artistic disciplines.
Thanks to the Recording Academy's advocacy, Similar legislation has become law in multiple states with strong bipartisan support. On Capitol Hill, the bill was reintroduced in Congress during GRAMMYs on the Hill Advocacy Day on April 27, 2023 — and the Recording Academy asks for Members of Congress to co-sponsor H.R. 2952.
Fix The Tix: Protecting The Live Music Experience For Artists & Fans
The relationship that forms when an artist connects to a fan through live music is at the core of what makes music special. Artists try to keep their tickets affordable for their fans, but unscrupulous scalpers move in and drive up the price and make it harder for fans to buy tickets to see their favorite artist perform live.
Congress needs to address the many predatory practices that drive-up ticket prices and deceive consumers by regulating and restricting bulk resellers and bots and providing real transparency.
Legislation like the TICKET Act (H.R. 3950) is an important first step to promote price transparency, but comprehensive reform is needed to protect artists, fans and small businesses who bear the most harm from the deceptive trade practices common in the live event ticket industry. Stakeholders in the secondary market want to restrict the ability of artists to tour and sell tickets the way that they want.
It's time for Congress to listen to the artists on the stage and pass meaningful, bipartisan
ticketing reforms that protects consumers, elevates creative economic development, and restores trust in the ticketing experience. Artists want to protect their fans from bulk resellers, bots, and predatory practices, while putting new safeguards in place to restrict sales of fake tickets, limit price gouging, and address other deceptive practices.
The Recording Academy supports the passage of the TICKET Act, as well as additional pro-artist and pro-consumer reforms.
Incentivizing New Music Through Tax Fairness
Reintroduced into Congress on Feb. 28, 2023, The HITS (Help Independent Tracks Succeed) Act is a bipartisan and bicameral solution that would provide independent creators with tax incentives to help boost the production of new music.
The bill, which the Recording Academy helped craft, would modify current U.S. tax law to allow independent artists and songwriters to deduct 100% of their production costs on new recordings or songwriting demos upfront.
Plus, it would align the tax code with similar provisions that exist for television, film and live theatrical productions.
The goal of the HITS Act is to incentivize the creation of new music by lessening the financial burden and risk of creating it. The HITS Act will aid independent artists, songwriters, and producers in creating new music that we can celebrate and enjoy.
The reintroduction of the HITS Act demonstrates the support various members of Congress have for the music community and their understanding of the importance of reviving the music ecosystem.
As such, the Recording Academy backs the co-sponsorship of H.R. 1959.
Providing A Solution For Artists' Rights On Radio
The American Music Fairness Act is a bipartisan and bicameral bill that establishes a
performance right for sound recordings broadcast on AM/FM radio in the United States
to ensure that performers receive compensation for their work.
The bill cleared the House Judiciary Committee in 2022 and contains important protections for small and non-profit radio broadcasters.
The bill ends a decades-long loophole that has enabled AM/FM radio broadcasters to use the music of hard-working performers and producers without compensating them for their work.
Under the bill, artists, performers, producers, and other music makers involved in the creation of a sound recording would be entitled to fair market rate for their music played on radio stations across the U.S. — just like they currently receive on other music platforms like streaming services, satellite radio and internet radio.
AMFA also contains important protections for small and non-profit broadcasters to ensure that local and community-supported radio stations can continue to be diverse and thrive.
It also empowers creators to have control over their own intellectual property is a fundamental and constitutionally protected right in America.
Big radio corporations have earned billions in advertising revenues by exploiting music and its creators, while the creators themselves have lost out on millions of dollars of potential royalties.
Following District Advocate in 2022, the House Judiciary Committee favorably voted the American Music Fairness Act out of committee for the first time. The Recording Academy believes that co-sponsorship of H.R. 791 is a must.
Granted, District Advocacy Day is a unique part of being a member of the Recording Academy. But if you're not a member, never fear — there are other ways to get involved and help advocate for creators' rights.
The Recording Academy invites you to engage in one of our numerous Call to Actions here — and it's our hope we'll see you at District Advocate Day 2024! With all this in mind, let's make District Advocate Day 2023 a success for all music people!
