House/Senate Letter Opposing the Local Radio Freedom Act (LRFA)

March 14, 2019

Dear Representative/Senator,

On behalf of the 24 national unions in the Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO (DPE), I write to express strong opposition to the Local Radio Freedom Act (LRFA). This bill would deny music professionals, many of whom are members of DPE affiliate unions, the right to be paid fairly for their work. I ask that you neither co-sponsor nor otherwise support this legislation.  

Despite its well-intending name, the LRFA would serve to pad the profits of major corporations at the expense of recording artists. American terrestrial radio stations have long profited from playing songs without compensating the artists and musicians who performed these creative works. These recording artists are not guaranteed a share of the advertising revenue their performances help generate. The LRFA would enshrine this injustice by misclassifying fair payments for the use of recording artists’ works as a “tax.”   

Recording artists, like all professionals, deserve a fair return on their work. Just as you would not consider nurses’ pay to be a tax on hospitals, you should not accept the premise put forward by the LRFA’s supporters that frees them of the responsibility to pay artists and musicians for use of their recorded performances.

It is for this reason that I respectfully ask that you oppose the LRFA. Congress should be working to provide a performance right for recording artists across all music listening platforms, not blocking their ability to be paid for the work they do.  

If you have any questions, please contact DPE Assistant to the President/Legislative Director, Michael Wasser at (202) 638-0320 x.119.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Dorning, President