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Popular 90s R&B group Boyz II Men met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to advocate for the American Music Fairness Act, a bill aiming to require corporate radio stations to compensate performers while protecting small, local broadcasters. The meeting happened on Thursday, Feb. 13 to coincide with World Radio Day.
The Philadelphia-based singers of the hit song "End of the Road" spoke with three leaders in the House of Representatives: Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), and Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA).
"This is an issue about right and wrong," Boyz II Men members Nathan Morris, Shawn Stockman, and Wanyá Morris said in a statement. "Artists – including background vocalists and musicians – work hard to create music that brings joy to millions.
"It's outrageous that big radio companies are able to make billions of dollars each year in ads while denying royalties to the performers whose music attracts listeners in the first place. We hope that Congress will listen to the voices of artists and pass this bill."
More than 300 musical acts signed the letter to Congressional leaders. Stars joining the push include Aerosmith, Celine Dion, Lil Jon, Lin Manuel-Miranda, Mariah Carey, Ozzy Osbourne, Peter Frampton, P!nk, Stevie Nicks, and Weezer.
The musicians are urging lawmakers to end what they call a century-old injustice. For decades, US radio stations have used a legal loophole that allows them to broadcast songs without paying the artists who created them.
Most terrestrial stations pay for songs by subscribing to performing rights organizations, which pay royalties to music publishers and songwriters, NBC News reported. Those royalties aren't paid to performers unless they're also songwriters.
Organizations representing radio stations have argued that broadcasters and artists each benefit from the exposure gained from playing songs. They've also said royalties paid through licensing agreements are already expensive and the bill could raise costs for the struggling radio industry.
The National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters has opposed the bill.
"NABOB explained that such additional royalties could potentially financially cripple many local radio stations and harm the millions of listeners who rely on local radio for news, emergency information, weather updates and entertainment," the organization said in a statement.
According to the musicians, the US remains the only democratic nation where AM/FM radio stations don’t pay royalties for music, joining countries like North Korea, Cuba, and Iran in withholding payments to performers. American musicians lose an estimated $300 million per year.
The bill was introduced in Congress at the end of January.
"When I was starting out, radio offered free promotion for artists who were looking to make it," pop-rock singer Carly Simon said. "That's no longer the case. In the digital age, fewer and fewer Americans are discovering new music on the radio. Instead, AM/FM is making billions of dollars each year in ad revenue without compensating the artists whose songs they play. This needs to end."
The proposal's goal is to make corporate radio giants pay for music. It also aims to ensure small stations can continue broadcasting affordably.
Under the bill, nearly two-thirds of radio stations would pay just $500 or less annually for unlimited music.
"Performers spend hours, days, weeks, months, and even years working on the songs that make up the soundtracks of our lives," said country singer LeAnn Rimes. "They should be rewarded for that work by the radio corporations that play their songs on the air."
The musicFirst Coalition commissioned a poll that found about 73 percent of Americans believe it’s unfair that certain musicians aren't paid for their songs on the radio.
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