More than 300 Recording Academy members and non-members attended a musicFIRST Town Hall hosted by the Atlanta Chapter and the musicFIRST Coalition on June 22 at the Porter Sanford III Performing Arts & Community Center. The panel aimed to provide more information about the Performance Rights Act, a bill aiming to provide a terrestrial radio royalty for artists and musicians, and offered an open forum for attendees to voice their questions and concerns.

Moderated by musician Johnny Colt (Black Crowes, Rockstar Supernova, Train), panelists included artists George Clinton, Dionne Farris, Rhymefest, and Peter Stroud; U.S. Reps. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) and Hank Johnson (D-Ga.); Charlie Fleming, president, Atlanta-North GA Labor Council AFL-CIO; Daryl P. Friedman, Recording Academy Vice President of Advocacy & Government Relations; Kendall Minter Esq., chairman, Rhythm & Blues Foundation; James Patterson, vice president of Atlanta Federation of Musicians Local 148-462; and Barry Stoltze, president, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Atlanta.

Colt opened with brief information on the bill and an introduction of each panelist. Panelists took some time to speak about the issue, sharing their unique perspectives and stressing the bill is about fairness for the artists and does not intend to hurt the radio industry. The panel added the bill should not be seen as a tax, but rather as a business expense. In fact, stations that make less than $100,000 per year will pay only $500 annually if the bill is passed. The floor was then opened to the audience with topics including how money would be distributed to the artists, and if an artist would have the option to allow a radio station to play their music for free.