SANTA MONICA, CALIF. (OCT. 1, 2019) — Nearly a year after the successful passage of the transformative Music Modernization Act (MMA), the Recording Academy™, which represents the interests of all music creators, will reunite its members with members of Congress on Oct. 2 as a part of the Academy’s annual District Advocate Day.
Spearheaded by singer/songwriter and two-time GRAMMY®-winner Jason Mraz as the Academy's District Advocate Ambassador, and supported by a diverse group of music creators ranging from Broadway performers to sound engineers, nearly 2,000 Academy members from coast-to-coast will address industry concerns, including copyright protections and establishing a performance right on terrestrial radio as a part of the largest grassroots music advocacy day.
"Oct. 2, 2019, will be another landmark day for music advocacy in the United States," said Deborah Dugan, President/CEO of the Recording Academy. "Through District Advocate Day, the Academy will empower music creators from coast-to-coast, make their voices heard, and remind legislators of the vital role they play in our communities and our culture. I’m excited to be a part of this movement to protect music creators and preserve the future of the music industry."
Issues members of the Academy will address with legislators in their hometowns include:
- Encouraging passage of the CASE Act, which establishes a small claims court for copyright cases, including those of independent artists and songwriters who don't have the unlimited resources needed to protect their work against infringement
- Establishing a performance right on terrestrial radio, the only platform in the United States that uses another person's intellectual property without permission or compensation
- Encouraging the Department of Justice to ensure fair compensation for songwriters during its review of the consent decrees that regulate how songwriters are paid
- Protecting arts funding to invest in the next generation of music creators
- Protecting intellectual property as the United States negotiates and ratifies new trade agreements
In addition to Mraz, District Advocate Day participants will include four-time GRAMMY winner Yolanda Adams; GRAMMY winner Claudia Brant; three-time GRAMMY nominee Taylor Hanson; seven-time GRAMMY-winning member of Lady Antebellum Dave Haywood; five-time GRAMMY winner Lalah Hathaway; three-time GRAMMY winner Shane McAnally; Latin GRAMMY-winning songwriter, composer, and producer Rudy Pérez; singer/songwriter Caitlyn Smith; and nearly 2,000 other music professionals. In addition to Academy members meeting face-to-face with their members of Congress, fans and other members of the music community have pledged to participate online as a show of unity in support of music and those who create it.
District Advocate Day, along with the Recording Academy's annual GRAMMYs on the Hill® in April, are the Recording Academy's tentpole advocacy events. These events are credited with helping to pass the Music Modernization Act into law, the largest update to music legislation in the past 40 years, which was signed on Oct. 11, 2018. |
|
