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The National Independent Talent Organization (NITO) has officially announced its endorsement of the American Music Fairness Act (AMFA) to ensure artists and music creators are fairly paid a performance royalty for the use of their songs on AM/FM radio. This practical, bipartisan legislation would bring corporate radio broadcasters in line with all other music streaming platforms, which already pay a performance royalty for their work. The United States is currently the only democratic country in the world in which artists are not compensated this way for the use of their music on broadcast radio.
NITO will further support the American Music Fairness Act with “Pay Her Respect,” a national day of action planned for today, March 25, 2025, honoring the birthday of the late, great Aretha Franklin. In arguably the most famous example, because there is no US performance royalty, Aretha Franklin never received compensation for her version of “Respect,” despite the millions of plays on broadcast radio. Musicians and fans are invited to send letters to the U.S. Congress and share a graphic on social media declaring their support for the American Music Fairness Act. For more information and to send to your representatives, please visit: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/pay-her-respect-pass-american-music-fairness-act.
“When I think about the importance of this act, I think of all the hard-working musicians who have struggled to make a living and how this bill could get them to a place of stability,” says Nathaniel Marro, Executive Director of National Independent Talent Organization. “The middle class should be an attainable goal for all musicians and songwriters, not some distant reality. Passing this bill would get us one step closer. ”
Re-introduced in the U.S. Senate earlier this year by U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) with companion legislation then brought forward in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-48) and Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), the American Music Fairness Act would finally close an antiquated loophole that has allowed corporate broadcasters to forgo compensating artists for the use of their music for decades. Each year, these giant radio corporations rake in billions in advertising dollars while refusing to pay a single cent to the artists and music creators who make their entire business model possible. This inequity not only harms artists at home but also abroad, as most foreign countries withhold payments to American music creators when their work is played in their countries, simply because the U.S. doesn’t have a performance royalty. This amounts to nearly $500 million every year in lost income for American artists and musicians and leaves the U.S. in the dubious company of North Korea, Cuba, and Iran as among the only nations that refuse to pay artists for their work.
The American Music Fairness Act would require terrestrial radio broadcasters to pay performance royalties to American music creators when they play their songs and create a fair global market that ensures foreign countries pay U.S. artists for the use of their songs overseas. In recognition of the important role of locally owned radio stations in communities across the U.S., the American Music Fairness Act also includes strong protections for small, college, and non-commercial stations, allowing small and local stations who qualify for exemptions – specifically those that fall under $1.5 million in annual revenue and whose parent companies fall under less than $10 million in annual revenue overall – to play unlimited music for less than $500 annually.
In endorsing the American Music Fairness Act, NITO joins a long list of top artists and fellow music and entertainment industry organizations, including the Recording Academy, SAG-AFTRA, the American Association of Independent Music, the musicFIRST Coalition, the Recording Industry Association of America, SoundExchange, and the American Federation of Musicians. Indeed, every U.S. president since Jimmy Carter has advocated for artists to be paid for AM/FM radio plays. What’s more, an overwhelming majority of Americans stand with artists on this issue. By a 6-1 margin, Americans support Congress addressing this injustice by passing legislation such as the American Music Fairness Act. A recent national poll commissioned by the musicFIRST Coalition – the voice for fairness and equity for music creators – found that 73% of Americans agree that it is unfair that artists don’t get paid when their songs are played on the radio. NITO believes it is now time for our nation to align with the rest of the developed world and ensure that hard-working artists and creators are paid fairly going forward.
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The National Independent Talent Organization (NITO) is a 501(c)(6) trade organization representing hundreds of independent talent agencies and managers nationwide. NITO members represent over 5,000 touring artists performing in every state. NITO provides exclusive resources and benefits while cultivating a community with the free exchange of ideas and best practices for our members. The organization’s work advances a fairer and more equitable live and recorded music environment, ensuring that NITO is a leading voice in the decisions affecting our industry. For more, please visit NITOLIVE.ORG.
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