Letter in Support of the American Music Fairness Act (AMFA)
June 24, 2021
Dear Member of Congress,
On behalf of the 24 national unions in the Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE), I write in support of the American Music Fairness Act (AMFA). This bipartisan legislation would ensure that performers, including members of DPE’s affiliate unions, are compensated when their songs are played on terrestrial (AM/FM) radio.
American terrestrial radio stations pad their profits at the expense of music professionals. These broadcasters earn billions in advertising revenue each year while not paying the performers whose music is responsible for the audiences undergirding terrestrial radio’s business model. The AMFA would right this wrong by ensuring performers can earn a fair return for their work.
The AMFA would also ensure that foreign countries pay American artists and musicians when their songs are played abroad. Currently, other countries regularly seize the royalties owed to U.S. performers because American terrestrial radio stations do not pay for music performances. Passing the AMFA therefore will also provide U.S. performers access to hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars in payments from outside the United States.
With the United States starting to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic’s economic impact, there is an urgent need for Congress to ensure that performers are paid when their works are played on terrestrial radio here and abroad. Due to their work occurring in public venues and on job sites requiring close personal contact, nearly all artists and musicians have been unable to earn money performing live since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Meanwhile, terrestrial radio stations have weathered the pandemic by profiting off the playing of these creative professionals’ musical works. This inequity can and must be fixed.
It is for this reason that I ask you to join me in supporting the AMFA. Now is the time for Congress to close a loophole that has prevented union creative professionals from earning fair compensation when their songs are played on terrestrial radio.
If you have any questions, please contact DPE Assistant to the President/Legislative Director, Michael Wasser at mwasser@dpeaflcio.org or (202) 638-0320.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Dorning, President