MBW Views is a series of exclusive op/eds from eminent music industry people… with something to say.
The following op/ed comes from AM for Every Vehicle Act, which, if passed into law, would require carmakers in the United States to install AM radios in all new vehicles.
At the same time, artists in the US don’t get paid when their music is played on AM/FM radio. Here, Huppe explains why “fighting to get artists paid for radio plays is so critical”.
There is no doubt that the music industry stands as one in the belief that artists and other creators deserve to be paid for their work.
But when it comes to the fight to secure performance royalties for AM/FM radio plays, some skeptics question devoting efforts to getting economic justice from a “dying” medium such as terrestrial radio.
But last week Congress brought front-and-center why fighting to get artists paid for radio plays is so critical.
Following aggressive and well-funded efforts by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), Congress is moving to protect AM radio by compelling auto makers to keep the 100-year-old technology in cars – even though it interferes with electric engines and would increase car prices.
If the AM for Every Vehicle Act passes, the US government will for the first-time be mandating that private corporations install a specific broadcast service in its vehicles.
But if AM/FM is “dying,” if broadcast radio is “dying,” why is this legislation so important and on a fast track?