Some of the most recognizable names in rock music feel that American musicians are not earning the money they deserve, and that President Donald Trump can ensure that they get paid fairly.
Mike Love, founding member of the Beach Boys, showed his support for Trump and the American Music Fairness Act in a recent op-ed for Fox News.
“The American Music Fairness Act is a good bill,” the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee wrote. “It will help working artists pay for their groceries, save for retirement and provide for their families. Most musicians are in that category. I’ve met many artists over the years that struggle day to day to feed their families while pursuing their music dreams.”
The legislation, which was first introduced in the U>S. Senate on Jan. 30, would essentially require radio stations to pay artists royalties for playing their music over the airwaves.
Love explained that thousands of working performers — such as background singers, band members and studio musicians — are entitled to these royalties so that they can make a living.
“They depend on music performance income/royalties earned via licenses, radio, streaming or other music distribution platforms to support their families,” Love wrote. “It’s the payment they are rightfully entitled to for the use of the ‘product’ they ‘manufacture’ here in America — music. After all, paying someone to use their property or IP is fundamental to our American values.”
The Music Modernization Act, which Trump signed into law in 2018, updated copyright protections to ensure artists get paid fairly when listeners stream their songs online or via apps.
While Love said the act “has made a real difference in the lives of working music artists who were taken advantage of for far too long,” the singer believes more can be done to protect American musicians, especially in the digital age.
“Today the wealthiest technology companies in the world take our music without permission or compensation to build their AI products. Giant radio conglomerates broadcast our music for free, making billions in advertising dollars each year, without ever compensating the performers for using their work,” Love wrote.
“It gets worse — because the U.S. doesn’t pay performers for AM/FM radio plays, other countries won’t pay American artists for AM/FM radio plays abroad,” the singer said, mentioning how an estimated $300 million earned by American artists “is being held overseas.”
He continued, “While fair compensation for AM/FM airplay is a crucial step forward, it’s only one part of a much larger picture for working musicians. Long-serving performers continue to navigate outdated foreign copyright rules that limit their ability to regain control of their own recordings. Many older artists struggle with basic access to affordable healthcare. And now, with the rise of AI-generated voices and imitation tracks, creators face a new wave of unauthorized uses of their artistry. These issues don’t compete with one another — they reflect the shared reality of people who dedicate their lives to making American culture what it is. Addressing all of them will take time, but updating outdated radio law is a concrete place to begin.”
After it was first introduced, Love said he joined more than 300 artists signing a letter asking Congress to send the American Music Fairness Act to Trump’s desk.
He named several other performers who also signed the letter and backed the bill, including Jason Aldean, Billy Ray Cyrus, the Village People, Lee Greenwood and Trace Adkins.
KISS bassist and vocalist Gene Simmons also showed his support for the bill in an open letter to Congress, which was published by The Washington Post on Friday, Dec. 4.
Simmons, who testified before the Senate about the American Music Fairness Act, blamed the “broken radio business model” for stunting artists’ growth, including his own children who are both musicians.
Simmons accused radio corporations such as iHeartRadio and Audacy of collecting billions of dollars in advertising revenue without paying artists for making money from playing their music.
He also mentioned how streaming services and apps — including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and TikTok — pay artists to use their material.
Therefore, Simmons said the American Music Fairness Act “will close the radio loophole and finally compel these companies to pay performers for the music they use.”
“The legislation will protect small, independent broadcasters — those not owned by huge corporations — while generating hundreds of millions of dollars in new economic activity,” Simmons wrote.
“That could make a real difference in the lives of artists who are still trying to make it in the music industry, as well as thousands of backup singers, musicians, sound engineers and others whose names you may not know, but whose efforts are essential for bringing an album to life,” he continued. “They deserve to get paid fairly for the work they do. Under this bill, they will — because it would require broadcasters to pay performers for terrestrial radio play like they already do on the digital side.”
Given that Trump signed the Music Modernization Act into law, Simmons is confident that do the same with the American Music Fairness Act. Therefore, the rockstar is hoping his request motivates Congress to pass the bill.
“Republicans and Democrats might not agree on much these days, but they should agree on this: Every American who works hard deserves to have that hard work rewarded with fair pay,” Simmons wrote. “It’s past time for Congress to fix this. After all, the public airwaves belong to the American people, not to the corporations who use them to make money.”
Love accused Congress of taking too long to pass the bill. He wrote in his op-ed that “The House Judiciary Committee needs to hold a markup on this bill so that it can move another step closer to the Oval Office.”
“U.S. law has not caught up with the rest of the world. American workers aren’t being paid,” Love wrote. “The good news is that President Trump can quickly address these pressing challenges and level the playing field for all American performers — including session musicians, background vocalists and band members — who have and continue to contribute their incredible talents to our Great American Songs.”
The musician concluded with, “Every American who works hard deserves to have that work rewarded with fair pay. It’s time to close the radio loophole that has affected music artists for far too long. Let’s pass the American Music Fairness Act and ensure American artists are treated fairly.”
The American Music Fairness Act currently sits in the Senate. It has been read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.masslive.com ’
