Last week, registration opened for the sixth annual District Advocate day, inviting Recording Academy members to join in the largest grassroots movement for music advocacy of the year. On Tuesday it was announced that two-time GRAMMY winner Jason Mraz has been named the first-ever District Advocate Ambassador.
As the members of the Recording Academy have proved, action in advocacy works. Last year's District Advocate day, along with April's GRAMMYs On The Hill event, played a key role in the ultimate passage of the transformative Music Modernization Act, the largest update to music legislation in the past 40 years. Mraz joins the Recording Academy in their efforts to unite music creators and members of Congress in their hometowns to continue the momentum for music creator protections.
"As the people who write and record the nation’s soundtrack, we have a responsibility to unite in support of one another and ensure that music as a career, and an art form, is protected for the next generation of creators," said Mraz. "Last year, we proved that advocacy works with the passage of the Music Modernization Act. We need to continue that momentum and resolve some of the outstanding issues to ensure proper compensation and protections for all music creators."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I’m joining <a href="https://twitter.com/GRAMMYAdvocacy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GRAMMYadvocacy</a> on Oct 2 as the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DistrictAdvocate?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DistrictAdvocate</a> Ambassador in the <a href="https://twitter.com/RecordingAcad?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RecordingAcad</a>'s decades-long fight for music creators’ rights. Learn more at <a href="https://t.co/aDq0fxeYS9">https://t.co/aDq0fxeYS9</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZAjRFcH0v9">pic.twitter.com/ZAjRFcH0v9</a></p>— Jason Mraz (@jason_mraz) <a href="https://twitter.com/jason_mraz/status/1161308033303109633?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 13, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Set to take place Oct. 2, District Advocate day will engage approximately 2,000 Academy members—individual music creators—to sit down with their member of Congress in hundreds of districts across the country to showcase how music is a vital component of the local economy and needs protection. Hearing how the policies they enact impact music creators and their livelihood directly from those affected most provides powerful context for lawmakers.
"Behind each song, each note, each beat, there are tens of thousands of working musicians whose names you might not know but who are directly impacted by the decisions made in Washington," said Deborah Dugan, President/CEO of the Recording Academy. "Through District Advocate Day, we are working with music creators from coast-to-coast, putting them face-to-face with members of Congress, reminding them that music people are a vital part of their community, and deserve to be represented, heard and protected."
This year's participants will have several critical issues to discuss with lawmakers, such as encouraging passage of the CASE Act, establishing a long overdue performance right on terrestrial radio, encouraging the Department of Justice to ensure fair compensation for songwriters during its review of the consent decrees and protecting arts funding and music education. With Mraz leading the charge, Academy members and supporters are primed to put Advocacy into action on Oct. 2.
For more information about District Advocate 2019, and to sign up as a member or non-member, visit our Advocacy page.
Be A District Advocate: Stand Up and Support Music Creators' Rights
