
Rep. Doug Collins and the Recording Academy's Daryl Friedman
Photo: Paul Morigi/WireImage.com
Music Modernization Act Passes House Of Representatives Unanimously
The Music Modernization Act officially passed the U.S. House of Representative today, winning its first battle for legislative approval on the House floor with a unanimous 415–0 vote. Having previously passed mark-up by the House Judiciary Committee on April 11 with a unanimous 32–0 vote of approval, the MMA arrived at the House with a mandate from the masses that Congress enact equitable reforms in the music industry.
"Sometimes big pieces of legislation can come together only through the efforts of a large number of people who invest their time in making change happen, as so many members of this committee and so many stakeholders in the music and digital delivery communities have done," said House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) during the committee's mark-up.
Just last week, the Recording Academy hosted the 2018 GRAMMYs On The Hill Awards gala, bringing together a who's who of Capitol Hill heavyweights and music creators. The combined forces not only celebrated the power of advocacy, creativity and music but pushed forward the momentum for the MMA.
"Music creators compose the soundtrack to our lives. These creators deserve to be paid a fair wage for their work," said Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow. "The passage of the Music Modernization Act in the House of Representatives is a historic step forward for all music creators, ensuring that they are credited, paid, and shown the respect they deserve for the impact they have on our culture and daily life. We are honored that GRAMMYs on the Hill helped to pave the way for these long overdue updates."
"Last week, GRAMMYs on the Hill brought the stories of artists, composers, producers, and songwriters to Washington, sharing the challenges of their industry and the robust solutions provided by the Music Modernization Act," added honoree Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.). "The Recording Academy and an array of stakeholders have helped a bipartisan group of legislators protect an American art form, and I'm grateful for the consensus that was reflected in today's vote."
Looking forward, a happy ending for music creators would be a bill signing ceremony at the White House before the end of this year. However, before that can come to fruition, the bill will next proceed to the U.S. Senate, with the burden now on our nation's senators to make the right choice to protect music creators and update the laws that prevent music creators from being fairly compensated for their creative works.