musicFIRST Coalition Demands Equal Time On Broadcast Radio To Promote American Music Fairness Act

Wants Equal Time

The musicFIRST COALITION is demanding equal time on broadcast radio stations for artists to run ads supporting the American Music Fairness Act, the bill that would establish a performance royalty on AM and FM radio stations. The request is in response to broadcasters airing what the organization says is "the equivalent of millions of dollars of ads opposing bipartisan legislation that would finally pay artists when their music is played on AM/FM radio."

musicFIRST Chairman JOE CROWLEY said, “iHEART and other big radio broadcasters are willing to spend untold millions of dollars on lobbyists and a misleading nationwide advertising campaign -- all to deny artists and other music creators a slice of the multi-billion-dollar pie of revenues these corporations make from playing their songs. It’s craven that they’d rather spend their millions to block legislation than just pay the creators themselves. It’s time for iHEART to release their stranglehold on their airwaves and give artists equal time to set the record straight.”

“Let’s face it," CROWLEY added. "iHEART and other broadcast corporations are a Goliath, with seemingly limitless money to lobby CONGRESS and strongarm thousands of radio stations across the country into spewing falsehoods about this important legislation. Given that these publicly owned airwaves were granted to broadcasters by the American people, it’s outrageous they are now using them to achieve their own selfish ends. They must grant airtime to creators to counter these falsehoods.”

musicFIRST released the results of a national poll of 1,087 U.S. adults that indicated 59% of respondents support the AMFA, 56% saying that the broadcasting industry's spending on lobbying against the AMFA is "an inappropriate use of funds" that should go to compensate artists instead, and 58% agreeing that artists should get equal time to call for passage of the AMFA.

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