Next week on October 18^th, 2017 I will be participating a very important event called District Advocacy Day in which thousands of Recording Academy members like myself will advocate directly to our local legislators about music licensing reform that would ensure musicians, music producers and songwriters get fair market pay for their works across all music platforms.

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Right now music licensing is governed by a patchwork of laws that doesn’t reflect the evolving digital marketplace and results in creators receiving below-market compensation. As a result, future artists will increasingly find it difficult to build a career in music, depriving all of us of new music that enriches our lives and culture.

This is a critical time for music creators in Washington. The District Advocate program is an opportunity to show members of Congress that a vibrant music community lives, works, and votes in their districts.

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Today, Congress is looking at potential changes to copyright law, providing us with a historic opportunity to update music licensing reform to ensure fair market pay for all music creators across all music platforms. Real music licensing reform must address the following elements:

Fair Rate Standards for Songwriters and Composers:

Outdated rules that govern how royalties are set for songwriters must be changed so that when rates are set by government bodies, they should approximate the rates that would be negotiated in the free market.

Rate Parity for Sound Recordings Across Platforms:

Whether music is played on satellite radio, Internet radio, or traditional AM/FM radio, all music services should compensate artists under consistent, uniform standards that reflect fair market value.

Proper Compensation for Producers and Engineers:

Producers and Engineers are the only class of music creator completely left out of our copyright laws.  They should be protected in the law so that they receive fair and direct compensation for their work whenever their music is streamed on digital radio.

Real music licensing reform can only happen through comprehensive legislation that addresses the needs of the entire music community.

If you are not a member of the recording academy but meet the qualifications, I urge you to become apart of this global organization and get involved today.